Governing Bodies

FRANCE PROBES OF QATAR’S SUCCESSFUL WORLD CUP BID

Published

5 years ago

December 13, 2019

The French authorities have opened a corruption investigation into the circumstances that led to Qatar being awarded the 2022 World Cup.

The investigation, which will be led by a judge, follows a three-year operation by prosecutors specialising in financial crimes into the decision made in December 2010.

More than half of the 22 members of world football governing body FIFA’s executive committee who voted have since been either accused of corruption or prosecuted for it.

The French investigators have particularly focused on the case because of a meeting that took place at the Elysee Palace, the official residence of France’s President, a month before the vote.

It was there that Nicolas Sarkozy, the then French leader, and two close aides had lunch with Michel Platini, the former head of UEFA and an influential voter in the choice of World Cup venues, and Qatar’s then prime minister.

Platini claims he was shocked to see Sheikh Tamim Hamad Al Thani, who is now Qatar’s Emir, in the room, and had attended only to inform Sarkozy that he had decided to pick Qatar as host.

A spokesman for France’s financial crimes prosecutor confirmed the investigation, first reported by investigative news website Mediapart, but declined to comment further, citing secrecy rules.

Platini has since been questioned twice by the authorities and most recently, he was detained in June, along with the two aides to Sarkozy present at the lunch.

Days earlier, in an interview with the New York Times, he claimed that he had done nothing wrong.

Separately, FIFA plans to sue him to recover two million Swiss francs (S$2.76 million) he allegedly received illegally years ago.

Qatar has issued strong denials of corruption since the day it was picked to host the World Cup. But that has not stopped a string of allegations and claims over how the wealthy, gas-rich country managed to convince FIFA’s board members that it was more suitable than rival bidders.

The latest reminder came earlier this month. A FIFA document, outlining a life ban to the former head of Brazilian football Ricardo Teixeira for bribery, included witness testimony from last year that alleged three South Americans were paid vast sums for their votes.

But Qatar’s World Cup organisers said in a statement: “We maintain that we conducted our bid ethically and with integrity, strictly adhering to all rules and regulations.”

AFP

Governing Bodies

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

Published

17 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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