Governing Bodies
U.S. men’s and women’s teams strike equal pay deal with governing body
U.S soccer men’s and women’s national team players will receive equal pay and prize money, including at World Cups, after they came together to agree on landmark collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) with the U.S Soccer Federation on Wednesday.
For official competitions, including the World Cup, the women’s (USWNT) and men’s (USMNT) national team players will earn identical game appearance fees.
For official competitions other than the World Cup, players of both genders will earn identical game bonuses.
U.S. Soccer becomes the first federation in the world to equalize FIFA World Cup prize money awarded to both women’s and men’s teams for participation in their respective World Cups.
“This is a truly historic moment. These agreements have changed the game forever here in the United States and have the potential to change the game around the world,” said U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone.
The CBAs, the first of their kind, will run through 2028, covering the next two World Cups and Olympic cycles. They will also keep the players among the highest-paid national team players in the world, U.S. Soccer said.
Under the new agreement, the USMNT and USWNT will have identical performance-based bonuses for all games and competitions.
The women’s team will no longer receive guaranteed salaries and have the same pay-to-play payments as their male counterparts.
“(The) next step is for other federations around the world to look to see what we have done and start doing it themselves,” Parlow Cone told reporters. “And then also encouraging the confederations and then as well as FIFA to equalize all prize money.”
SPONSORSHIP REVENUES
In another first for U.S. Soccer and the players’ unions, U.S. Soccer will share a portion of its broadcast, partner and sponsorship revenue with a 50-50 split of that share divided equally between USWNT and USMNT.
U.S. Soccer said the new revenue-sharing framework will “provide additional encouragement for all parties to work together to grow the game”.
The agreements also improve player health and safety, data privacy and the need to balance responsibilities to both club and country, the federation said.
“The accomplishments in this CBA are a testament to the incredible efforts of WNT (women’s national team) players on and off the field,” said USWNT player and USWNT’s player association President Becky Sauerbrunn.
The agreement came three months after the USWNT and U.S. Soccer agreed to resolve a dispute over equal pay dating back to 2016 when some players filed a federal wage discrimination complaint, claiming they were paid less than male players even though they generate more income for the United States Soccer Federation.
“The gains we have been able to achieve are both because of the strong foundation laid by the generations of WNT players that came before the current team and through our union’s recent collaboration with our counterparts at the USNSTPA and leadership at U.S. Soccer,” Sauerbrunn added.
The deal also covers other areas such child care, retirement, insurance, parental leave, short-term disability, mental health impairment, travel, accommodation, equal quality of venues and field playing surfaces.
The men’s World Cup is set to be played in November-December this year in Qatar, while the women’s edition will be held next year in Australia and New Zealand.
The USWNT are the most successful team in international women’s soccer, having won four World Cups, including the last one in 2019. U.S. men have never won the World Cup.
-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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