Governing Bodies
OLYMPIC HOSTS, JAPAN HALT FOOTBALL LEAGUE OVER CORONAVIRUS CONCERNS
Tokyo Olympics organisers said preparations were “continuing as planned” on Tuesday (Feb 25) as Japan’s football league became the latest sporting victim of the coronavirus, just five months before the Games.
The J-League added to jitters around the Olympics as it called off domestic football until mid-March, starting with seven-cup games scheduled for Wednesday, as fears of a pandemic grow.
The death toll from the flu-like virus, which originated in Wuhan, China, has exceeded 2,600 while more than 80,000 have been infected. Japan has about 850 cases, mostly from a cruise ship, and has recorded four deaths from the disease named Covid-19.
The J-League said the decision to postpone Wednesday’s matches was part of efforts to contain the spread of the virus.
“The J-League will make maximum efforts to prevent infection and prevent its spread,” it said in a statement.
But Tokyo Games organisers said cancelling the July 24-Aug 9 Olympics, which will draw millions of fans and tourists, as well as thousands of athletes and officials, had never been discussed.
“We have never discussed cancelling the Games,” said a Tokyo 2020 statement sent to AFP. “Preparations for the Games are continuing as planned.”
Officials are exercising caution, nonetheless. Training for Olympic volunteers was suspended over the weekend, and Sunday’s Tokyo marathon has been closed to all but elite runners.
The spread of the coronavirus has forced the cancellation of many sports events in recent weeks, including Serie A football matches in Italy.
The Vietnam International Challenge badminton, an Olympic qualifier, was shifted from late March to early June, the Badminton World Federation said on Tuesday.
Japan Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said it was too early to talk about cancelling the Olympics, which start on July 24, due to the coronavirus.
Questions have risen about whether the Olympics should be moved or cancelled, with one London mayoral candidate saying the British capital was ready to host the games if needed.
The International Olympic Committee has said it had been advised by the World Health Organisation that there is no case for contingency plans to cancel or relocate the Games.
By Kunle Solaja.
Nigeria is set to host the 48th Ordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), marking the third time the country will stage the continent’s top football gathering.
The development was confirmed in a statement issued by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), which disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the sidelines of the ongoing Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, approved Nigeria’s proposal to host the event.
The approval followed a meeting between President Tinubu and CAF President Patrice Motsepe, attended by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau, former NFF President and Special Adviser to the CAF President Amaju Melvin Pinnick, as well as CAF Acting General Secretary Samson Adamu.
Sports Villages Square affirms that Nigeria previously hosted the CAF Congress at the National Theatre in Lagos in March 1980 and again in February 2009, when the late CAF President Issa Hayatou secured another four-year term in office.
In addition to this year’s 48th Ordinary General Assembly, scheduled for October, Nigeria also secured the hosting rights of the CAF Awards ceremony. The annual awards gala, which celebrates Africa’s top football performers, has been staged in Morocco over the past three years.
Nigeria had earlier hosted the CAF Awards when telecom firm, Globacom, was the headline sponsor. This year’s event will be the seventh to be held in Nigeria after those of 2005, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014 and 2016.
The CAF Ordinary General Assembly traditionally attracts key football stakeholders from across the continent, including presidents of CAF’s 54 member associations, representatives of the six zonal unions and senior football administrators.
The CAF Awards ceremony is regarded as one of African football’s flagship events, honouring outstanding players, coaches, clubs and officials in a glamorous setting that showcases the continent’s football excellence.
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FIFA’s independent Ethics Committee has banned former Guyana Football Federation (GFF) General Secretary Ian Alves from all football-related activities for five years after finding he sexually harassed female staff members.
FIFA also fined Alves 20,000 Swiss francs ($22,000) after determining that he had breached provisions of the FIFA Code of Ethics relating to the protection of physical and mental integrity, abuse of position and general duties.
“FIFA has a strict stance against all forms of abuse in football,” the organisation said on Monday.
The decision followed a review of written statements from the victims, documents provided by the GFF, submissions from Alves, and other evidence gathered during the investigation.
Alves stepped down from his position in 2024.
The ban came into force on Monday, when the terms of the decision were notified to Alves, and the full grounds for the ruling will be communicated within 60 days in accordance with the Code of Ethics, FIFA added.
The GFF did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Alves could not immediately be reached for comment.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday that he planned to seek re-election for a fourth term in a bid to continue to lead the governing body of world soccer.
Infantino confirmed he would run for the 2027–2031 term in the closing moments of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, which comes less than two months before the start of the World Cup.
The election will be held on March 18 in Morocco, which is set to co-host the 2030 World Cup.
Infantino said he was “honoured and humbled” to have the chance to run for a fourth term.
The Italian-Swiss took office in 2016, replacing Sepp Blatter, and was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023.
Infantino has pushed for the expansion of FIFA competitions during his tenure, with this year’s World Cup in North America the first to feature 48 teams, while the women’s tournament in 2023 has been expanded to 32 teams.
Infantino’s tenure has also drawn some criticism over issues such as high World Cup ticket prices and the decision to award the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to U.S. President Donald Trump at the World Cup draw in December.
Earlier this month, the council of South American football’s governing body (CONMEBOL) said in a statement it would unanimously support the 56-year-old if he decided to seek another term.
-Reuters
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