Governing Bodies
FA’s axe dangles over Manchester United!
Manchester United could face a Football Association charge after their players surrounded referee Peter Bankes ahead of Lewis Dunk’s dismissal at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.
Bankes initially booked Dunk after he had pulled down Anthony Elanga but United stars reacted furiously, mobbing Bankes – refereeing only his eighth Premier League game of the season – and delaying the free-kick.
The protests against Bankes’ decision were led by captain Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes, who was booked for the ferocity of his complaints.
Eventually, the VAR, Aussie ref Jarred Gillett, told Bankes to go and look at the pitch side monitor and, inevitably, the referee upgraded the card to a red.
Bankes’ initial decision was clearly based on the thought that Brighton ’s Adam Webster was a covering defender and it was not an obvious goalscoring opportunity that had been denied.
And Graham Potter clearly thought the VAR and the referee were influenced by the scale of United players’ protests.
“I don’t blame them (the United players),” said the Brighton manager. “They have to do their bit for the team. But you need the referee and VAR to make the calls independently.
“It was a yellow card live, Webster was there on the cover. It is not clear and obvious and I did not understand the intervention.”
The intervention came as Maguire charged from his central defensive position to lead the United arguments.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho, Scott McTominay, Fernandes and Elanga also confronted Bankes, who has spent part of this season officiating in the Championship.
If Bankes says in his report that a yellow card for Fernandes was sufficient punishment, United could escape censure.
But the FA could still charge the club with failing to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion.
Arsenal were recently hit with a £20,000 fine when players protested against Gabriel’s dismissal in the home loss to Manchester City.
It was not long ago that clubs were told they would face sanctions if anyone other than the captain approached the referee.
-Mirror
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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