Governing Bodies
Premier League bosses unhappy as South American players face ban
Premier League managers on Friday (Sept 10) said they did not know whether they could select their Brazilian players for matches this weekend as a “senseless” club versus country row threatens to disrupt plans.
English top-flight clubs refused to release players for international duty in countries on the British government’s red list, including Brazil and Argentina, due to the 10-day coronavirus isolation period required on return.
As a result, Brazil football chiefs have asked global governing body Fifa to invoke a five-day suspension, the sanction for clubs not releasing their players.
Discussions are continuing, with clubs arguing the unprecedented circumstances of the global pandemic were sufficient justification for their decision.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said he still does not know whether he will be able to select Alisson Becker or Fabinho for Sunday’s game against Leeds.
A number of other clubs including Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Leeds, are all affected.
“I don’t know what will happen at the weekend, to be honest,” Klopp told liverpoolfc.com.
“In this moment, we have to see what other people decide and then we will again accept that probably, do what people tell us and try to win a football game.”
Klopp, a consistently vocal opponent of the congested global football calendar, also criticised South American football authorities for their lack of foresight.
“We all know we are in the middle of a pandemic, which is difficult for all parts of life and for football it was difficult as well – we have a few more games to play than we have to play usually internationally,” he added.
“We had a summer break where all of a sudden somebody organised again a Copa America, where they could have played the games, for example, without playing a Copa America, which they had a year before.”
Klopp outlined the problems his players would faced had they travelled.
“Our players, if they come back then they have to quarantine 10 days in a random hotel, next to the airport probably, which is not good for any people who have to do that but for a professional football player, being 10 days in a hotel – with the food they get from there – you lose everything,” he said.
“You lose muscle, you lose everything. It means 10 days in the hotel, coming back (and) needing pretty much 10 days to get on track again.”
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola admitted he was unsure whether Brazil duo Ederson and Gabriel Jesus would be available to face Leicester.
“If they had travelled there, they wouldn’t have been allowed to play,” said Guardiola, referring to strict rules in Brazil covering arrivals from Britain. “If they do it, so they cannot play in Brazil, and after they come back cannot play here for 10 days. If they don’t fly they are suspended for five days because they are here. It makes no sense.”
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, set to lose the services of defender Thiago Silva for Saturday’s game against Aston Villa, said it made no sense for his club or Brazil.
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who has Brazilian midfielder Fred in his ranks, described the situation as a “farce”.
“It is a lose, lose, lose situation for everyone, national teams, players, clubs,” said Solskjaer.
“It has been a farce. The players want to play.”
Tottenham manager Nuno Espirito Santo, whose team face Crystal Palace this weekend, said Giovani Lo Celso, Cristian Romero and Davinson Sanchez would not return to the club until next Saturday.
The trio are currently in Croatia, having defied the ban on travel.
Argentine players Lo Celso and Romero and Colombian Sanchez are able to train outdoors in Croatia and then return to England without quarantining, rather than having to do hard quarantine in a hotel.
-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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