Governing Bodies
FIFA President Infantino interviewed again by Swiss prosecutors in criminal case
FIFA President Gianno Infantino was interviewed for a second time today by Swiss authorities in a criminal case where he is accused of “incitement to abuse of authority, violation of official secrecy and obstruction of criminal action.”
The investigation had been launched in July 2020 and Infantino had initially been quizzed last April by magistrates Ulrich Weder and Hans Maurer, who conducted today’s interview in Zurich, where football’s world governing body is based.
Maurer confirmed that the meeting with Infantino, who had only recently returned from Brazil where he attended the funeral of football legend Pelé, to French newspaper Le Monde but refused to comment further.
The prosecutors are investigating three alleged secret meetings that took place in 2016 and 2017, between Infantino and the former Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber, who was in charge of investigations in connection with FIFA between 2015 and 2019 and who resigned in 2020 after he was implicated in the scandal.
Lauber is also under investigation.
Weder and Maurer also reportedly plan to interview several other officials involved in the alleged meetings, including Lauber’s former spokesman André Marty, and Haut-Valais Rinaldo Arnold, first prosecutor of Swiss canton Haut-Valais and a childhood friend of Infantino.
Former FIFA legal director Marco Villiger, former Swiss Attorney General official Olivier Thormann; and anti-corruption prosecutor Cédric Remund are also expected to be interviewed, Le Monde reported.
Infantino, a member of the International Olympic Committee, will be hoping that the matter is cleared up before March when he is due to stand opposed for re-election as FIFA President as the organisation’s Congress in Rwanda’s capital Kigali.
It has been alleged that during the secret meetings Infantino was seeking information on investigations into FIFA and its former executives, potentially with the intention to influence the course of those investigations.
It has been alleged that Infantino was trying to find out the state of an investigation regarding the CHF2 million (£1.8 million/$2.2 million/€2.1 million) payment sanctioned by former FIFA President Sepp Blatter to Infantino’s former boss at UEFA Michel Platini, who was seeking to take over as head of the world governing body.
Last July, the Swiss Federal Criminal Court acquitted the two men.
But another trial is due take place as the prosecution and FIFA appealed Blatter and Platini’s acquittal.
Infantino has always claimed that he never asked Arnold to meet Lauber on his behalf and, when the first meeting took place, that as general secretary of UEFA, he had no plans to stand for FIFA President at that time.
According to Le Monde, the magistrates have interviewed Infantino’s sister who claimed that her brother and Arnold were not in touch until she re-introduced them at the end of 2015.
FIFA told Le Monde that they would not comment “as long as the case is ongoing.”
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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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