Governing Bodies
Super Eagles’ flight to Qatar 2022 pass through Ghana!
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
It is confirmed, an Anglophone African country will be at the Qatar 2022 as Ghana and Nigeria are pitched together in the play-off for the World Cup.
The first leg will hold in Ghana while Nigeria host the all-important second leg.
It is the fifth time both teams will cross path in the quest for qualification for the World Cup.
The first was the maiden entry by both teams for the Chile 1962, the second was for the Mexico 1970, the third was for West Germany 1974 and the fourth was for the Korea/Japan World Cup in 2002.
In a 20-minute ceremony conducted by CAF Director of Competition, Samson Adamu and assisted by Nigerian-born Togolese legend, Emmanuel Adebayor and Senegal’s El-Hadji Diouf, the final road for African teams to the World Cup was laid.
Diouf was got the process rolling when he picked Egypt out of bowl 2. Adebayor picked Senegal and thus, both Senegal and Egypt will contest for a place. The former will host the last leg.
Diof then picked then picked Cameroon from the Pot 2 and was followed up with Adebayor picking Algeria to set up a mouth-watering confrontation of African giants.
It was at the fifth pick, done by Diorf that Ghana was drawn out. Adebayor’s pick was Nigeria and that set up a clash of the most formidable rivalry in the continent.
DR Congo who as former Zaire played only once at the World Cup in 1974 were drawn against Morocco, the first African team draw a match at the World Cup when they held Bulgaria to 1-1 draw and later in 1986 became the first African team to cross the group stage.
Mali, the only one among the 10 not to have been to the World Cup before are drawn against Tunisia, the first African team to win a match at the World Cup when they came from behind to beat Mexico 3-1 at the Argentina 78 World Cup.
The fixtures in full
- Egypt vs Senegal
- Cameroon vs Algeria
- Ghana vs Nigeria
- DR Congo vs Morocco
- Mali vs Tunisia
FIFA has sanctioned two lower division clubs in Kenya and Vietnam for match manipulation, relegating them to the third tier, world soccer’s governing body said on Friday.
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee found Kenyan side Muhoroni Youth guilty of “activities related to the manipulation of football matches and competitions”, expelling the club from the second-tier National Super League.
“The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has further ordered the relegation of the Muhoroni Youth senior team to the Football Kenya Federation Division One League (third tier) ahead of next season,” FIFA said.
Vietnamese club Phu Tho was also found guilty of match manipulation. The club’s senior team was expelled from the Vietnamese Football League Second Division and relegated to the third division.
FIFA said the clubs had been notified and can appeal the decision.
-Reuters
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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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