Governing Bodies
CORONAVIRUS: PREMIER LEAGUE HOLDS EMERGENCY MEETING TODAY
The Premier League will hold an emergency meeting today after it was revealed Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had contracted coronavirus.
The shock news came on the day English football was told by the government to carry on as normal.
But Arsenal’s situation forced the Premier League to schedule an emergency conference call on Friday morning with all 20 clubs. The Gunners’ match at Brighton on Saturday has been postponed.
The League will face pressure from clubs to call off the rest of the matches this weekend. There are concerns over the safety of their players and the integrity of the competition.
A Premier League statement said: ‘In light of Arsenal’s announcement tonight confirming that their first-team coach Mikel Arteta has tested positive for COVID-19, the Premier League will convene an emergency club meeting on Friday morning regarding future fixtures.
‘The Premier League will make no further comment until after that meeting.’
The meeting is expected to take place on Friday morning at 10.30am.
One proposal being discussed by the Premier League is to postpone games until the international break when they could potentially be rescheduled.
If Arsenal’s players are to be self-isolated for the next two weeks from Friday, that also puts their FA Cup quarter-final with Sheffield United in jeopardy.
The news came just hours after English football was given the green light to carry on as normal by the government on Thursday night as much of the rest of the sporting world was shut down in an attempt to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
On an unprecedented day of cancellations football league programmes in Spain, Portugal, Holland and the United States were suspended alongside postponements in rugby, tennis, golf, basketball and athletics, while England’s Test series in Sri Lanka that is due to start next week came under threat and more doubts were raised over whether this summer’s European Championship and Olympics will take place as planned.
UEFA will hold talks with the 55 national associations and representatives of Europe’s leading clubs next Tuesday to discuss contingency planning for the European Championship, including taking the dramatic step of postponing the tournament for 12 months.
If that is agreed then this summer will be used to schedule any outstanding Champions League and Europa League fixtures, as several knockout matches have already been postponed, as well as giving time to complete any unfinished domestic leagues. La Liga and Serie A have both been suspended.
Amid an atmosphere of uncertainty several other radical proposals will also be discussed, including shortening the Euros by cutting the number of teams and scrapping the qualification play-offs due to take place this month, which will be strongly opposed by those involved including Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
UEFA are also considering a truncated Champions League and Europa League in an attempt to ensure both competitions are completed this season by reducing the remaining knockout rounds from two legs to one.
The Premier League and EFL will, as it stands, continue as normal in front of packed crowds this weekend in a stark contrast to the situation elsewhere in Europe, and the status quo will remain until the government alters its advice on mass gatherings, which may not be for several more weeks.
Boris Johnson raised the spectre of eventually banning sporting events or restricting crowds on Thursday, but emphasised scientific advice he has received that large crowds do not in themselves carry a huge additional risk.
‘We are considering banning major public events like sporting fixtures,’ he said. ‘The scientific advice is this has little effect on the spread, but it does place a burden on other public services.’
English clubs’ European campaigns have been affected however, with Manchester City’s last 16 Champions League knockout tie against Real Madrid next week postponed as the Spanish club are in quarantine.
That is the second postponement City have experienced in as many days after their Premier League game with Arsenal was called off in the early hours of Wednesday morning, and the club are understood to be unhappy with the guidance they have received from the league headquarters.
Rugby union in England followed football’s lead, with the Premiership set to continue after the Pro14 fixtures in Scotland, Wales and Ireland were suspended indefinitely.
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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