Governing Bodies
Initial Champions League last-16 draw cancelled after mistake
he draw for the Champions League last-16 ties will be conducted again after a technical error in the software which advises officials which teams can and cannot be paired together, Uefa said on Monday (Dec 13).
“Following a technical problem with the software of an external service provider that instructs the officials as to which teams are eligible to play each other, a material error occurred in the draw for the Uefa Champions League round of 16,” Uefa said in a statement.
“As a result of this, the draw has been declared void and will be entirely redone at 1500 CET
Earlier, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain were due to meet in the Champions League for the third time in four seasons after being paired together for the round of 16.
PSG were be at home in the first leg in February in a tie that will see Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo come up against each other.
The Argentinian star moved to Paris in August just before his old Portugal rival returned to Old Trafford for a second spell.
Messi has struggled to get going in Ligue 1 but has five goals in the Champions League while Ronaldo – the competition’s all-time top scorer with 140 goals – has six in five appearances this season.
Between them, the pair have won 12 of the last 13 Ballon d’Or awards for player of the year – with Messi leading 7-5 after this year’s victory.
After numerous meetings in Spain’s ‘El Clasico’, they last played each other in 2020 when Messi was with Barcelona and Ronaldo at Juventus, with the Portugal captain scoring twice at the Camp Nou as the Italian side won 3-0 in the group stage.
Despite the signing of Messi, Mauricio Pochettino’s PSG finished second in their group this season behind Manchester City, while United topped Group F ahead of Villarreal.
Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich were drawn together in the other standout tie, while holders Chelsea will face French champions Lille.
Pep Guardiola’s City will play Villarreal, who beat United on penalties in last season’s Europa League final and qualified for the last 16 ahead of Atalanta.
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool will play Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg, who are through to the knockout phase for the first time.
“Tactically they are really good, technically they are really good. I think we cannot deny the ‘favourites’ role, but we know it is a tough place to go,” the German manager told the Liverpool website.
Record 13-time European champions Real Madrid were drawn against two-time former European Cup winners Benfica, with the first leg in Lisbon.
Inter Milan play Ajax and Portuguese champions Sporting will take on Juventus.
The first legs are scheduled to take place on Feb 15-16 and Feb 22-23 while the second legs will be played on March 8-9 and March 15-16.
United and PSG also met in the round of 16 in the 2018-19 season, with the English giants progressing on away goals. Last season, both times the away side won in the group stage.
Meanwhile, Barcelona will face Napoli in the Europa League knockout round play-off stage after the Catalan giants crashed out in the Champions League group stage for the first time since the 2000-01 season.
Xavi Hernandez’s Barca will continue their European campaign in the second-tier competition, with the winner of their tie with Napoli advancing to the last 16.
Reuters/AFP
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)
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
- Nigerian Football5 days ago
Financial rainfall awaits Nigeria’s Flamingos for every goal scored in Algeria
- OBITUARY1 week ago
NFF mourns the demise of former FIFA referee, Bosede Momoh
- U-20 FOOTBALL1 week ago
Nigeria begin CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations title chase with Tunisian clash
- Nigerian Football1 week ago
Remo Stars maintain ‘7Up’ lead over Rivers United
- Nigerian Football5 days ago
Former WAFU President, Ogufere mourns Christian Chukwu
- feature1 week ago
Ghana’s Cardinal, Appiah Turkson, listed as a possible Pope
- Badminton5 days ago
It’s Nigeria again as Eniola Bolaji wins the 2024 Africa Women in Badminton Award
- CAF Champions League5 days ago
Al Ahly, Sundowns brace for Cairo showdown with final spot on the line