Governing Bodies
AFTER 500 CORONAVIRUS CASES, PREMIER LEAGUE MATCHES TO BE PLAYED IN EMPTY STADIUMS
Britain is set to unveil a crisis plan for football that will keep all Premier League matches played behind closed doors as the country battles the outbreak of the coronavirus, according to a media report.
That means fans will have to support their teams from home for the rest of the season.
The plan would allow the matches to go on without spectators instead of postponing the current season, the Times of London reported.
The measures will also stop games from being shown in pubs to discourage congregation of people.
Premier League games will still not be broadcast live on Saturday, but all Premier league season-ticket holders and ticket holders for individual games will be able to individually stream the games at home.
The Times said “the plan may be implemented once the number of UK coronavirus cases passes 500”. The country’s case count is currently 456, according to the UK Department of Health and Social Care. Eight have died.
The Premier League already decided to delay a match between Manchester City and Arsenal on Wednesday, after the owner of a Greek team who tested positive for coronavirus met Arsenal players after a Europa League match about two weeks ago.
While the United States-based National Basketball Association has announced it will suspend all games until further notice after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for coronavirus, the Premier League is aiming to conclude the season.
Premier League broadcasting contracts contain large penalties if the season is ended rather than played to the end, the Times said. The league’s clubs have at least nine matches remaining in this season, which concludes in May, not including Champions League and FA Cup games.
League leaders Liverpool are almost certain to win this year’s title, needing only two more wins to end a 30-year drought, but now are likely to lift the league trophy in an almost empty stadium.
Italy’s Serie A has been suspended while French Ligue One and Spanish La Liga games are being played without spectators.
Also on Wednesday, Juventus said their defender Daniele Rugani had tested positive for coronavirus, casting doubt on the Italian side’s Champions League last-16 return leg against Olympique Lyonnais next week.
While he is currently asymptomatic, the team have activated all isolation procedures required by law, including for those who have contact with him.
The measures could mean teammates like superstar Cristiano Ronaldo are also put into quarantine.
Governing Bodies
Nigeria becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council
Laurels on the courts and now glory in the boardroom sums up the mark that badminton is making in Nigeria.
The President, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, has been elected as a council member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The election took place during the BWF Annual General Meeting on Saturday in Xiamen, China.
Orbih emerged victorious over top contenders from other African countries.
He will join Cameroon’s Odette Assembe Engoulou on the council, while Chipo Zumburani (Zimbabwe) and Hadia ElSaid (Egypt) missed out.
An elated Orbih expressed his gratitude to fellow badminton presidents across the globe for their trust and support.
He said, “I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by my peers across the badminton world.
“I look forward to quality representation, driving development initiatives, and strengthening badminton’s global reach over the next four years.”
Orbih also acknowledged the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, particularly the National Sports Commission (NSC), which he said played a significant role in his successful bid.
“The Chairman and the Director General of the NSC monitored the entire process. I’m grateful for their involvement and confident Nigeria will benefit from this,” he stated.
He further appreciated the BFN board members and the Nigerian badminton community for their prayers and continued belief in his leadership.
“From the day I declared my intentions, the board members of BFN have been supportive, and I promise not to disappoint them,” Orbih concluded.
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A former member of the FIFA Council, Mamoutou Toure, has been released from jail in Mali after almost two years in detention for alleged corruption, Malian media reports said on Wednesday.
Toure, president of the Malian Football Federation since 2019, was released after 622 days in prison on Tuesday.
He served on the FIFA Council, world football’s all-powerful decision-making body, for four years until last month when he lost his seat after failing to contest new elections.
The 67-year-old was arrested in August 2023 on allegations of embezzling $28 million of public funds but was granted a provisional release order by the Malian courts, reports said.
He was accused of misconduct during his time as the National Assembly’s financial and administrative director from 2013-2019.
Toure denied all charges and, during his time in jail, was last August re-elected as Malian Football Federation president for a second consecutive term, with his supporters claiming he was a victim of a conspiracy fuelled by detractors.
While in jail, he received a letter of support from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. However, as of last month, Toure is no longer a member of the FIFA Council or the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee.
-Reuters
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The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has denied reports of an outstanding debt to former captain Christian Chukwu and has challenged anyone with verifiable documents to prove otherwise.
Chukwu, a former national team captain and chief coach, died last Saturday.
The Nigeria Football Federation decried statements in a section of social media that the football-ruling body was indebted to the deceased.
Reacting to one statement on social media that claimed NFF owed the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations-winning team captain the sum of $128,000, NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, said: “There is no record in the NFF of any outstanding indebtedness to ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu.
“During the first term of the Board headed by Amaju Pinnick, a committee was set up to diligently peruse the papers of coaches who were being owed, even from previous NFF administrations.
“That committee was given the clear mandate to verify all debts and ensure that the coaches being owed were paid immediately. I am aware that the ‘Chairman’ was in the employ of the NFF between 2002 and 2005, before he was relieved of the post following the 1-1 draw with Angola in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Kano in August 2005. There is certainly no record of indebtedness to him in the NFF.”
Sanusi challenged anyone with genuine and verifiable documents of NFF indebtedness to any coach, who has worked with any of the National Teams over the past two decades, to come forward and tender those documents.
“As a credible organization that is very much alive to its responsibilities, if we are confronted with any genuine document of indebtedness to any coach, we will offset the debt immediately.”
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