Governing Bodies
FACEBOOK DENIES LINK WITH BREAKAWAY SUPER LEAGUE
Facebook has said that it is not in discussions with a coalition of European football teams called the Super League to acquire broadcasting rights to the proposed competition, while a source familiar with the matter said Amazon was also not in discussions with the league.
The Financial Times earlier reported the Super League’s organisers have held early discussions with companies such as Amazon, Facebook, Walt Disney Co and Sky to secure deals that would raise annual revenues worth €4 billion (S$6.4 billion) a year.
In a statement on Monday, Comcast-owned Sky Sports said it has not been involved in any discussions with the league.
In December, Amazon secured exclusive rights to screen European Champions League football matches in Italy on its Prime Video platform.
In the meantime, broadcasters who have spent billions of dollars to screen Champions League football have condemned the plan by top European clubs to form the breakaway league as a threat to the future of the game that will not succeed.
News that 12 clubs including Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United have joined forces to set up a new competition risks undermining the existing media contracts that help fund the game.
Were the new league to go ahead, media groups that risk watching the value of their existing rights disappear will have to decide whether they want to battle for the new matches, potentially against rivals such as Amazon or Disney’s ESPN.
BT, which owns the right to show the Champions League midweek club competition in Britain, Spain’s Mediapro and streaming service DAZN either condemned the move, or distanced themselves from it.
“BT recognises the concerns raised by many of football’s leading voices and fans, and believes the formation of a European Super League could have a damaging effect to the long term health of football in this country,” the company said.
Spanish media company Mediapro told Reuters on Monday that broadcasters would not tear up their existing contracts and predicted the plan would fail.
Sports streaming service DAZN, owned by billionaire Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries, also poured cold water on it.
DAZN last month secured the rights to screen all Serie A Italian top-flight league matches over the next three seasons with a bid of €2.5 billion, beating pay-TV player Sky.
“Neither DAZN nor Mr Blavatnik are in any way involved or interested in entering into discussions regarding the establishment of a Super League and no conversations have taken place,” DAZN said.
Were the Super League to go ahead, it would threaten not only the viability of the Champions League but also the appeal of domestic leagues after officials warned that any clubs or players taking part in it could be banned from all other competitions.
That would weaken the attraction of domestic leagues like the Premier League in England, if their matches no longer include the likes of Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane and Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne.
That in turn threatens the smaller clubs that receive a share of the revenues.
Even if the players are not banned, a European Super League based around a core of permanent members risks turning domestic leagues into a second-string event with less at stake.
Analysts said Amazon or Disney’s ESPN could be in pole position to buy the rights to show the new league as they have fewer ties to the sport’s governing bodies.
“The traditional broadcasters such as Sky may be more hamstrung because it would complicate relationships with their other contracts (eg international football tournaments or domestic leagues),” media analyst Ian Whittaker said.
Sky Sports, whose subscription service turned the Premier League into the world’s richest domestic football league but which no longer screens the Champions League, said in a statement it has not been in any discussions with the Super League.
“We are completely focused on supporting our long-term partners in the UK and in Europe,” it said.
-Reuters
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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