Governing Bodies
ENGLISH PREMIERSHIP MAY RESUME SEASON AT WEMBLEY
The Football Association (FA) has offered Wembley and St George’s Park, the national football centre, as possible venues to help the English Premier League complete the season, the Times of London has reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.
The top flight has acknowledged that the competition will not restart at the beginning of next month and the remainder of the campaign “will only return when it is safe and appropriate to do so”.
According to the Daily Mail, the contractual cut-off point to finish the season is July 16 and, if the campaign is not completed by then, broadcasters Sky, BT and international rights holders could demand rebates of as much as £762 million (S$1.35 billion).
The deals for players in the final year of their contract also ends on July 30, so that is another issue that needs to be worked out to preserve the integrity of the competition.
As such, the Premier League are drawing up alternative plans to ensure a satisfactory conclusion to the season, which was halted on March 13 owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
Staging matches behind closed doors is said to be the preferred option, given the restrictions on mass gatherings to slow down the spread of Covid-19.
Travelling between stadiums is also a no-go as the British government has introduced measures to limit movement during the crisis.
Away games mean players have to stay overnight in hotels and in turn, increases the chances of contracting or spreading the disease.
Wembley and St George’s Park, therefore, could be ideal neutral venues as not only can they both host multiple games on the same day, but having two “base camps” would also keep travelling to a minimum.
The latter, which has a hotel with 228 guest rooms on site as well as 13 pitches, five of which are floodlit, can also double up as a shielded training centre.
While the Premier League weighs its options, an early resumption of matches is not expected to be on the cards, with The Times claiming that June was “a more realistic return” to action, especially with players yet to undergo mass Covid-19 testing.
“We only have a handful of tests and are restricting ourselves to testing players only if they show symptoms,” a Premier League executive, who declined to be named, said.
“We understand that the National Health Service should get priority, but it appears we are a month behind Germany in terms of being able to return.”
Players in the top-two tiers of German football have resumed training, albeit in small groups, with the Bundesliga aiming to restart by next month.
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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