Governing Bodies
Uefa ends legal battle against Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid over Super League
Uefa on Sunday (Sept 27) nullified disciplinary action against breakaway European Super League (ESL) clubs Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus after a Madrid court ruled that European football’s governing body should not sanction the rebel clubs.
Uefa had opened a probe against the three clubs but in June it suspended proceedings after being notified by Swiss authorities of a court order from the commercial court in Madrid obtained by the legal entity European Super League Company SL.
The latest step from Uefa was to declare that the proceedings were nullified.
“Following the stay of proceedings against FC Barcelona, Juventus FC and Real Madrid CF, in the matter related to a potential violation of Uefa’s legal framework in connection with the so called ‘Super League’, the Uefa Appeals Body has declared today the proceedings null and void, as if the proceedings had never been opened,” Uefa’s appeals body said in a statement.
Juventus, Barcelona and Real are the last of the 12 clubs who signed up to the ESL in April not to have distanced themselves from the breakaway project which unravelled when all six English clubs plus Inter Milan, AC Milan and Atletico Madrid withdrew.
Proceedings have continued in a Madrid court to stop Uefa from punishing the clubs who tried to break away from the established European football structures, including Uefa’s Champions League.
In July, the 17th Mercantile Court of Madrid ordered that all financial and sporting penalties against the founding members of the ESL should be dropped, including monies due to be paid to Uefa by the nine other clubs, which include six Premier League teams, who had initially been part of the project.
Uefa said that it “remains confident in and will continue to defend its position in all the relevant jurisdictions”.
“Uefa notes that the declaration made by the Uefa Appeals Body follows the formal notification made to Uefa of a court order granting Uefa a few days to clarify its compliance with decisions of the Madrid Commercial Court No. 17,” the organisation said in a statement.
In May, the nine rebel clubs who had pulled out of the breakaway, including Manchester United and Liverpool, agreed to pay a combined 22 million pounds (S$40.82 million) to Uefa as a “gesture of goodwill”.
However on Monday, Uefa said that “in view of the pending Court proceedings in Madrid, and to avoid any unnecessary complication… Uefa will not request payment of any of the amounts offered”.
The plans, announced in April, for the 12 clubs to create the ESL collapsed after just two days as eight of the 12 founding members from England, Italy and Spain abandoned the breakaway project under huge pressure from fans, politicians and soccer officials.
The ESL argued it would increase revenue for the top soccer clubs in Europe and allow them to distribute more money to the rest of the game.
However, the sport’s governing bodies, other teams and fan organisations said the league would only boost the power and wealth of elite clubs, and that the partially closed structure went against European football’s long-standing model.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has continued to say the plan remains a viable way forward for Europe’s top clubs and on Monday Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli wrote to the club’s shareholders and explained his club’s backing for the plans.
“This is a new meritocratic paradigm and a return to the fundamentals of cost control and transparency,” Agnelli wrote in the letter.
“It is a new paradigm which football can no longer afford to overlook, and on whose basis political dialogue must resume,” he added.
-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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