Governing Bodies
CONCACAF CHIEF EYES WORLD CUP QUALIFYING OVERHAUL
Concacaf chief Victor Montagliani said on Wednesday (May 6) the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic would likely force changes to the structure of the region’s qualifying competition for the 2022 World Cup.
In an interview with Canada’s Onesoccer.com website, Montagliani said he expected Concacaf’s traditional “Hexagonal” final round of qualifying would have to be scrapped under the reforms.
For the 2018 World Cup, six teams played in a home-and-away round-robin group with the top three teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean qualifying directly for the finals in Russia and the fourth place team entering a playoff.
However, Montagliani said the global sporting shutdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic would likely mean the loss of important Fifa international windows ahead of the 2022 World Cup, meaning reforms to the qualifying structure were inevitable.
“I think on the balance of probabilities in terms of what has happened so far, and what likely will continue to happen, the current World Cup format will have to be changed,” Montagliani said.
“Which means that ultimately the ‘Hex’ will have to be changed into some other form.”
Montagliani did not provide any details of what a reformed qualifying competition might look like however.
“Obviously it will be bigger, but what that number is I don’t know until we have a calendar,” he said.
“Until we know from Fifa how many windows we have it’s going to be very hard for me to say it’s going to be this, that or the other.
“Because even on some of the modelling that my competitions guys are working on in their basements right now, depending on what this calendar looks like, whatever you’ve thought of you might have to redo that.”
Montagliani said, however, he expected Fifa rankings would be used to help formulate preliminary rounds of qualifying.
“You’re going to have to use Fifa rankings to start somewhere because that’s the reality of our confederation and in terms of having 35 teams,” he said.
“You’re going to have to do some kind of elimination process and then get into some kind of group stage process.”
-AFP
The president of the Confédération of African Football, Dr. Patrice Motsepe, has announced five new CAF Vice Presidents. They are:
- CAF First Vice President: Mr Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco)
- CAF Second Vice President: Mr Kurt Okraku (Ghana)
- CAF Third Vice President: Mr Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
- CAF Fourth Vice President: Ms Bestine Kazadi Ditabala (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- CAF Fifth Vice President: Mr Feizal Sidat (Mozambique)
In addition, the CAF President has co-opted Yacine Idriss Diallo, President of Fédération Ivoirienne de football, into the CAF Executive Committee.
The CAF Executive Committee also approved the names to fill vacant positions on several CAF Committees.
Organising Committee for the African Nations Championship (CHAN)
- President: Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
CAF Technical and Development Committee
- President: Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
- Vice President: Malouche Belhassen (Tunisia)
CAF Medical Committee:
- President: Dr. Mohammed Bouya (Mauritania)
- Vice President: Dr. Thulani Ngwenya (South Africa)
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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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