Governing Bodies
Fifa ‘inundated’ with 17 million requests for World Cup tickets
Fans have sought 17 million tickets for this year’s World Cup finals in Qatar, Fifa said on Tuesday (Feb 8), making it more than five times over-subscribed.
Higher prices being demanded for the best tickets – which cost up to US$1,600 (S$2,150) for the final – and controversy over Qatar’s bid did not deter followers of the world’s most popular sport.
“Fans across the globe have proven their enthusiasm,” Fifa said.
Demand was highest from the host country of the November-December event. But Fifa said it had been “inundated” with requests from Argentina, Brazil, England, France, India, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and the United States.
Some 1.8 million tickets were sought just for the final which will be held in the 80,000 seat Lusail stadium on Dec 18, the world body said.
Tickets for the game will cost between 605 riyals (S$220) – for some Qatari residents – and 5,850 riyals. The top price is more than 45 per cent higher than best places for the 2018 final in Russia, which was won by France.
The cheapest final tickets for international fans are 2,200 riyals, about a third more expensive than last time and some fan groups have complained about the prices.
Organisers said about 3.3 million tickets for all games will be available. Qatari residents, including its army of migrant workers, will pay as little as US$11 for a ticket to less popular games.
Fifa, which hopes to make more than US$500 million from tickets, broadcasting rights and other World Cup commercial revenues, said fans who were successful in a computer lottery would be told by March 8.
Qatar braces for visitor deluge
After the 20 days of applications closed Tuesday, Fifa said it will check applications before tickets are allocated in a computer draw.
Qatar has been preparing for 11 years for the first World Cup in the Arab world and the first held in the traditional winter months of the top football nations. The date was moved because of the scorching summer temperatures in the Gulf.
It has spent billions of dollars on a building blitz including seven new stadiums and refurbishing one, all in a 50km radius of central Doha
The Lusail stadium is to be inaugurated next month but many surrounding skyscrapers are still engulfed in cranes.
Qatar has also faced questions over its rights record – especially conditions for migrant workers who built the stadiums – and what fans can expect.
Rights groups say hundreds of workers have died in accidents and the heat. A number of national teams staged protests over rights concerns during qualifying matches.
Qatar authorities say conditions and labour laws have changed drastically over the past decade and they have been “unfairly” criticised.
The tiny state is expecting up to 1.2 million visitors but as it does not have enough hotel rooms, thousands of fans will be housed on cruise ships during the event.
“The first Fifa World Cup in the Middle East and Arab world will be an extraordinary event,” according to Nasser Al Khater, Qatar’s chief organiser who has promised that everything will be ready.
Fifa released the figures as Qatar marked a National Sports Day holiday. Former England star David Beckham, now an ambassador for the Qatar organisers, appeared at a women’s football tournament in the Gulf state. No spectators were allowed however.
Hasan al-Haj, who was jogging with his daughter at the Education City complex in Doha, said he had applied for tickets for five matches.
“There is not a fever yet, we can see there is still a lot to do, but I know a lot of people here who applied. This is going to be an important event. We will discover the world and the world will see what Qatar can do,” he said proudly.
Fifa and the organisers have not said what they will do if the coronavirus pandemic surges again but insist they have plans.
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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