Governing Bodies
Behold Hansjorg Wyss, the Swiss billionaire who may buy Chelsea
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has decided to sell the club and has offered it to several prospective buyers.
One of those is Switzerland billionaire Hansjorg Wyss, who has admitted to getting an offer from Roman to buy the club.
While there is no confirmation over whether he’ll go on to buy the club, the billionaire is among the potential options to become Chelsea’s new owner.
So who exactly is the 86-year-old Swiss tycoon? Let’s have a look!
Who is Hansjorg Wyss?
Hansjorg Wyss is a billionaire businessmen who is among the richest people in Switzerland.
The 86-year-old is the founder of Synthes, a multinational medical device manufacturer.
Synthes, however, was sold to American corporation Johnson & Johnson for $19.7bn in 2012 – for which Wyss got a major increase in riches.
Wyss is also a philanthropist who has donated hundreds of millions to environmental causes in recent years.
His Wyss Foundation, a charitable organization, has more than $2bn in assets.
What is his wealth?
Wyss is now a retired businessman but continues to work as a philanthropist. He is one of the most philanthropic people in the world, as per Forbes.
As of 2021, he had a net worth of $5.8bn and currently ranks 235 on the Bloomberg list of billionaires.
However, he is still short of matching Roman’s net worth – which was claimed to be $12.9bn back in 2019.
What has Wyss said about buying Chelsea?
Speaking on receiving the offer to buy Chelsea, Wyss revealed on Wednesday: “Abramovich is one of Putin’s closest advisers and friends.
Like all other oligarchs, he is also in a state of panic.
“Abramovich is trying to sell all his properties in England. He also wants to get rid of Chelsea quickly. I and three other people received an offer on Tuesday to buy Chelsea from Abramovich.
“I have to wait four or five days now. Abramovich is currently asking far too much. As of today, we don’t know the exact selling price. I can well imagine starting at Chelsea with partners, but I have to examine the general conditions first.”
Wyss has also confirmed that if he decided to buy Chelsea, it will be as part of a consortium consisting of 6-7 investors and not a case of him pouring all his money to own the club.
As per reports, American billionaire and part-owner of LA Dodgers, Todd Boehly is working with Wyss and they’ll come up with an offer together soon.
-Tribuna
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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