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Governing Bodies

COVID-19 IMPACT ON AFRICAN FOOTBALL LEAGUES

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The coronavirus pandemic has continued to cause major upsets on world sports and African football has not been left behind, with the effects already rolling down. Here is how the pandemic has so far affected African leagues.

Mauritius

Mauritius became the first African country to end its football season due to the pandemic after an initial indefinite postponement on March 19.

The Football Association, through General Secretary Didier Gnanapragassa communicated to the clubs the decision to wind down the season throughout the country over uncertainties as to when the pandemic will be over.

A decision is yet to be made on its representatives in next year’s CAF Clubs competitions.

Date of decision: 6 April 2020

 

Kenya

The Football Kenya Federation has decided to end football across all its seven tiers of the men’s game as well as the two tiers of the Women Leagues. Under a Force Majeure clause in its rules, the champions of each league will be decided by the standings at mid-season.

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Gor Mahia are crowned the Premier League champions for a 19th time with Chemelil Sugar and Sony Sugar relegated while Nairobi City Stars are champions of the second tier and promoted to the Premier League alongside Bidco United.

The two tiers of the women’s leagues have consequently been cancelled as they had only played one round of matches into the new season.

Date of decision: 30 April 2020

Angola

After a meeting with the top tier clubs, the Angolan Football Federation also made a decision on it’s leagues and different from Kenya, they decided to cancel the season with five rounds of matches left to play.

Petro de Luanda were leading the top tier with 54 points with Primero de Agosto second. A decision was reached that the two clubs will represent Angola in the Total CAF Champions League.

For the Confederations Cup representative, a decision will be reached at a later date, depending on finances and the coronavirus situation.

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Date of decision: 30 April 2020

Guinea

The President of the Guinean Professional Football League (LGFP) General Mathurin Bangoura announced that the top two tiers of Guinean football will not be able to be completed because of the pandemic.

With the uncertainty on when the pandemic will be over, Bangoura said a unanimous decision was reached to cancel the season with no champions, promotion or relegation.

The league had reached the halfway point with Horoya leading the standings with 29 points, four ahead of second placed Wakirya. The Federation is set to make a decision on the representatives for CAF Competitions.

Date of Decision: 30 April 2020

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Burkina Faso

The Emergency Committee of the Burkina Faso Football Federation has made the decision to cancel the top tier season with six rounds of matches left to play.

There will be no champions or relegation in the top tier, but with the second tier already completed, the top two teams will be promoted which means the next season of the top tier league will have 18 teams

At the same time, Rahimo FC has been selected to represent Burkina Faso in the Total CAF Champions League while Salitas FC will play in the CAF Confederation Cup.

Date of decision: 4 May 2020

Ethiopia

The Executive Committee of the Ethiopia Football Federation, in consultation with government organs and the league administrators has announced the cancellation of all tiers of football in the Eastern Africa Country with no champions declared, promotion or relegation as well.

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The league was halted early March as the coronavirus pandemic began to gather pace with Fasil Kenema top of the standings with 30 points, Mekelle Enderta second with 28 points, same as third placed St, George.

Consequently, EFF has announced that Ethiopia will not have a representative at next season’s continental club championship.

Date of decision: 5 May 2020

Congo

The Congo Football Federation has named AS Otoho as champions of the 2019-20 season after cancelling all football due to the coronavirus.

The Executive Committee made the decision after a meeting to assess the situation and it was unanimously agreed that it would be difficult to resume sporting activities soon.

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Otoho who were leading the standings with a 14-point gap with six matches remaining before the season was halted will play in the Total CAF Champions League while second placed Diables Noirs will play in the CAF Confederation Cup.

Date of decision: 5 May 2020

Liberia

The Liberia Football Association has also announced the cancellation of all its football leagues with no champions, relegation or promotion after a meeting of the Executive Committee.

With nine rounds of matches left, Mighty Barolle were leading the standings with 23 points, one ahead of BEA Mountain and two ahead of third placed MC Breweries. The league was still open with only four points separating the leaders and the eighth placed team.

Meanwhile the Liberia FA will consult on a play-off between the top four to determine representatives at next season’s CAF Competitions.

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Date of decision: May 5, 2020

-CAFONLINE

 

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Governing Bodies

Gusau becomes the fifth Nigerian to hold WAFU’s top position 

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Gusau (seated, second from left) with the newly-elected WAFU B Exco in Niamey on Friday.

BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

The President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Musa Gusau has been elected as the 1st Vice President of the West African Football Union (WAFU) B zone.

He thus becomes the fifth Nigerian to hold a top position in the West African subregional football body.

Others before him include the founding president, Joseph Kwamina Tandoh who at the time was a vice chairman of the then Nigeria Football Association (NFA).

Others are Jonathan Boytie Ogufere, president from 1988 to 1994; Abdulmumini Aminu (1999 to 2002) and Amos Adamu (2008 to 2010) under whose tenure, the hitherto 16-nation body was divided into two – WAFU A and WAFU B.

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Gusau’s election took place this Friday in Niamey, Niger Republic on the sidelines of the CAF African Schools Football Championship (WAFU B qualifying tournament.

The WAFU B zone is now made up of seven countries after CAF split what was the biggest subregional football body, not just in Africa, but also globally.

The WAFU Zone B now comprise Nigeria, Togo, Benin Republic, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Niger Republic and Cote d’Ivoire.

 The original 16-nation body was founded in Abidjan on 7 September 1975. But 36 years later, life was snuffed out of the biggest subregional football body when CAF on 16 May 2011 split it into two along the zonal divisions of the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa (SCSA).

However, Sports Village Square recalls that WAFU had existed with another name before the foundation date of 7 September 1975. In March 1959, the West African Football Federation (WAFF) was founded, and it comprised the 16 nations that later became WAFU 15 years later.

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Delegates from seven countries met in Accra Ghana for a football conference that led to the establishment of WAFF for the Kwame Nkrumah Gold Cup which replaced an annual Jalco Cup competed by just Nigeria and Ghana.

Reginald Allen and Effiom Okon represented Nigeria at the conference.

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Governing Bodies

Former NSC DG, Ekeji hails Olopade’s appointment

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Dr patrick Ekeji, Director General NSC from 2009 to 2013.

Dr. Patrick Ekeji, who retired as Director General of the National Sports Commission in 20l3, has hailed Bukola Olopade’s appointment as the new DG of the newly revived Nigeria’s apex Sports governing body.
Ekeji, who has traversed the wide spectrum of Nigerian sports as a participant, trainer, and administrator, informed Sports Village Square that Nigeria got it right with the combination of Shehu Dikko as Chairman and Olopade as the DG.
“He (Olopade) is competent. With Dikko, I am certain they’ll chart and execute a formidable pathway for success in our sports.”

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Governing Bodies

Trump’s re-election and its potential impact on global sport

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Giovanni Infantino and FIFA are likely to benefit from Trump. GETTY IMAGES

The Republican’s second term as United States president starting in 2025 is already sending shockwaves through the sports landscape well beyond the country’s borders, influencing everything from international diplomacy to gender politics and global events.

His presidency, marked by an ‘America First’ approach and unpredictable foreign policy, could reshape how the United States interacts with international sports organisations, athletes, and fans worldwide. While his administration would likely bring challenges, it could also present opportunities for American sports on a domestic level, despite the potential for friction in the broader international sporting community.

A key factor in Trump’s re-election is the evolving relationship between the US, and major global sporting organisations. As the AP’s Graham Dunbar observed, FIFA is more likely to maintain a positive rapport with Trump compared to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). FIFA “seems in a better place to resume warm relations” with Trump, based on the history of interactions between Giovanni Infantino and the US president. 

Infantino, for instance, congratulated Trump even before the Electoral College win in 2020, using his Instagram account to send his message. By contrast, the IOC has maintained a “public silence” regarding Trump’s potential re-election, adhering to formal protocol. The IOC’s history with Trump includes a memorable, poorly received visit by IOC President Thomas Bach to the White House in 2017, marking a less-than-ideal relationship.

Additionally, Trump’s divisive statements, including his false characterisation of female Olympic athletes and his stance on gender in sports, could create further tension with the IOC. At a recent campaign rally, Trump “falsely labeled two female Olympic champion boxers as men” and pledged to “keep men out of women’s sports,” a sentiment that could alienate athletes and officials alike, particularly within the IOC, which has been navigating increasingly complex gender identity issues in sports, most recently with the Imane Khelif controversy.

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However, Trump’s administration may still play a pivotal role in global sports diplomacy. FIFA, for instance, could find itself in a delicate position with nations like Iran, whose qualification for the 2022 World Cup and subsequent political implications were subjects of concern. With Trump at the helm, FIFA might need to carefully manage these sensitive issues, given the administration’s stance on international relations. 

The Associated Press highlights that FIFA “seems to have an open line of communication” with Trump to address “potential challenges,” signaling a practical, albeit politically charged, partnership. One area where Trump’s re-election could intersect directly with the sports world is the bid for the 2031 Women’s World Cup. The United States is teaming up with Mexico for this bid, which will take place amid heightened tensions between Trump and the US Women’s National Team (USWNT), a team that has been vocal in its opposition to his policies.

Despite the ongoing animosity, the prospect of Trump’s administration derailing the US-Mexico bid seems unlikely. As Ben Rumsby noted in London’s Daily Telegraph, the bidding process for the 2031 World Cup will unfold “against a backdrop of open hostility” between Trump and the USWNT, yet the likelihood of it “torpedoing a bid for the 2031 edition also appears remote.” The US and Mexico’s joint effort will likely overcome the political challenges presented by Trump’s presidency, though the tensions within the women’s soccer community could complicate matters.

Additionally, Trump’s re-election may influence the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, which will undoubtedly be a global stage for American leadership in sports. The current president of the IOC, Thomas Bach, has refrained from publicly congratulating Trump on his re-election, which contrasts with FIFA President Infantino’s early show of support.

With Bach set to complete his term next year, whoever succeeds him as “the most powerful figure in sport” will need to navigate delicate diplomatic terrain, especially as LA 2028 draws nearer. As the Telegraph points out, the IOC leader “can ill afford to fall out with the most powerful person in the world if the two are to share a stage come the opening ceremony of LA 2028.” The IOC’s ability to maintain a cooperative relationship with Trump’s administration will be crucial, especially as international political dynamics continue to influence the tone and scope of major global sporting events.

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In conclusion, Trump’s re-election is likely alter the global sports landscape in significant ways. His approach to diplomacy, trade, and gender issues could complicate relationships with international sporting bodies like the IOC and FIFA, though organisations such as FIFA might maintain a pragmatic relationship due to their past interactions. 

The prospect of a tense bidding process for the 2031 Women’s World Cup and the approaching LA 2028 Olympics underscores the complexities facing global sports as they navigate Trump’s second term. Despite the challenges, the US may still hold considerable sway in international sports, both through its domestic leagues and its ability to host major global events. Ultimately, how these tensions and opportunities play out will depend on the political climate and the adaptability of the sports world to an increasingly polarised global environment.

-insidethegames

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