Governing Bodies

CBF favour Ancelotti to bag Brazil’s job

Published

2 years ago

March 26, 2023

Real Madrid boss, Carlo Ancelotti would be the obvious choice to become the new manager of Brazil, according to the president of the country’s football association.

Ancelotti has been tipped to become the next manager of Brazil ever since they parted ways with Tite after their quarter-final exit to Croatia at the World Cup.

The Italian, who works with Brazilian players including Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo at the Santiago Bernabeu, has previously dismissed speculation linking him with the job.

However, Brazilian FA president Ednaldo Rodrigues, has admitted that he is the favoured option among players and supporters, and has spoken of his own personal admiration for Ancelotti.

He told Reuters: ‘I really admire him for his honesty in the way he works and how constant his work is. He needs no introductions.

‘He is really a top coach who has several achievements and we hope he can have even more.

‘Ancelotti is not only the players’ favourite but it seems the fans’ too. Everywhere I go in Brazil, in every stadium, he is the first name the supporters ask me about.

‘They talk about him in a very affectionate way, in recognition of the exemplary work he has done in his career.

‘Let’s have faith in God, wait for the appropriate time and we’ll see if we can make it happen as we look for the new coach of the Brazilian national team.’

Rodrigues’ comments will only add fuel to the fire to speculation that Ancelotti will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season.

Despite speaking highly of the Italian, Rodrigues pointed out that Brazil must be careful to respect the due process as Ancelotti is under contract with Real Madrid until 2024.

He said that no formal contact or approach has so far been made by the Brazilian FA with Ancelotti or any other manager and that they will start to talk to the candidates in mid-April with the objective of announcing their new coach by the end of May.

‘We will be very ethical in our approach and respect the contracts that are in place. We also greatly respect the work that is done by any coach and his club to get there and make any kind of approach, it would be a lack of respect for the president of the clubs in question,’ Rodrigues said.

‘Therefore, we have the patience to wait for the right moment so that we can hold these conversations.

‘Nothing is really defined yet to say the name (of the next coach) for sure, but it’s within this line, you understand? We need a coach who has the players’ respect and admiration.’

Ancelotti, whose only previous experience of international management came as an assistant with Italy in the 1990s, said last month that it was his intention to see out his present deal with the Spanish giants.

‘My situation is pretty clear. I have a contract until 2024,’ said Ancelotti ahead of their Club World Cup win over Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal.

Governing Bodies

Nigeria becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council

Published

3 hours ago

April 26, 2025

Kunle Solaja

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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Governing Bodies

Ex-FIFA Council member and Mali football chief released from jail

Published

3 days ago

April 23, 2025

Kunle Solaja

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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Governing Bodies

Nigeria Football Federation denies owing late national captain and coach, Chukwu

Published

2 weeks ago

April 14, 2025

Kunle Solaja

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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