Governing Bodies
UEFA LOOKING INTO ONE-WEEK CHAMPIONS LEAGUE OPTION
UEFA is working on a proposal that could see the remainder of the Champions League condensed into a week-long mini-tournament, with the final taking place on Aug 29 in Istanbul.
Football, as with most sports around the world, has been brought to a standstill by the coronavirus pandemic, with all major European leagues suspended.
The Champions League and Europa League are also stalled at the round of 16.
According to the BBC, UEFA wants the Europa League final to be held in Gdansk, Poland on Aug 26, with the Champions League final to be played three days later.
The Champions League final was originally scheduled for May 30 and the Europa League final was due three days earlier.
The European football governing body is considering two options, one of which is to hold the remainder of the Champions League quarter-finals – only four sides have reached the final eight – and semi-finals across two legs in July and August.
This would, however, only be possible if domestic leagues restarted by June.
The second option is to play the remaining Champions League ties as one-off fixtures after the domestic seasons, while the remainder of the competition will be played out over the course of a week.
Both options will be discussed at UEFA’s executive committee meeting next Thursday, the BBC added.
The Europa League is a trickier proposition, given that the first leg of the last-16 ties featuring Italian sides have not even been played.
There are also a myriad of other challenges yet to be solved – one-legged ties must be staged at neutral venues, which are yet to be found, while there are worldwide travel restrictions in place.
Clubs also have to accept a loss in revenue if games are reduced and broadcasters must agree to air fewer live games than contractually stated.
As such, pundit Jamie Carragher has urged UEFA to consider striking a compromise by “giving up” a competition to give domestic leagues the best possible chance of concluding the season.
“Something has got to give at some stage, maybe a competition this season or next has to be taken out of the calendar to free up space,” the former Liverpool defender told Sky Sports yesterday.
“There’s been a lot of semi-decisions… it almost felt like it was buying time, but you have to get to the crux of the problem and make a decision now on this season and next.
“Cup competitions are more at risk than leagues. With the Champions League, I don’t think there’s any way if any league starts you can have it in the middle of that.
“League games will be so spaced together it feels like Europe will need its own situation now. Everything is going to get pushed back… so it feels like European competitions need to become a mini-tournament separate from the leagues.”
-Reuters
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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