Governing Bodies
PREMIERSHIP CLUBS MEET AGAIN ON RESTART PLAN
Warring English Premier League clubs will meet on Monday (May 11) with tensions mounting over the divisive ‘Project Restart Plan’ to finish the season amid the coronavirus crisis.
Premier League chiefs hope to return to action next month, but that goal could be scuppered by an internal battle between clubs fiercely protecting their own interests.
The Premier League had delayed its latest meeting until after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s address to the nation on Sunday. But, for those clubs and players concerned about the rush to return, his admission that the virus transmission rate is still too high to significantly ease Britain’s lockdown until at least June 1 was hardly reassuring.
The Premier League has been halted since March 13, but he offered no details about its short-term future and indicated that, while the general population will be allowed to play sports from Wednesday, they must do so only with those in their own households.
And the growing unease about the Premier League’s desire to finish its remaining 92 fixtures only increased on Sunday when Brighton admitted a third player in their squad had contracted the virus.
The scheduled return of Germany’s Bundesliga from May 16 had raised hopes that the Premier League could follow suit, yet there are stark differences between the health crisis in both countries.
Britain’s death toll from the pandemic passed 30,000 last week to become the worst-hit country in Europe. By contrast, Germany has registered just over 7,000 deaths.
However, German second-tier club Dynamo Dresden have put their entire squad and coaching staff into two-week isolation after two players tested positive for the virus.
Also on Sunday, La Liga confirmed five unnamed players have the virus and will go into quarantine.
Brighton chief executive Paul Barber has been one of the more vocal critics of the restart scheme and he told the Mail on Sunday: “We have got to be careful that we do not misstep here because if we do, it could ruin lives. It could cost lives. And we cannot afford that.”
Testing and player welfare remain major hurdles to overcome, with Norwich midfielder Todd Cantwell summing up the feelings of worried players when he responded to the positive test at Brighton by tweeting: “We are just people too.”
Comprehensive testing is believed to be part of the protocols required for a restart, with the BBC reporting that this could cost about £30,000 (S$52,600) a week. Some 40,000 tests – at between £150 and £180 each – for the remaining 92 fixtures are expected to be required with each person tested twice a week.
A lack of unity has provoked another complication for the Premier League over the use of neutral venues.
League chiefs believe they will only get the government’s green light to restart if the number of venues are limited to reduce the medical, police, security and broadcast personnel required.
There are also fears over fans congregating at home stadiums, even though the matches would be played behind closed doors.
Leading the resistance to neutral venues are clubs near the bottom of the table and at risk of huge financial losses by dropping out of England’s lucrative top flight.
Brighton had five of their remaining nine games at home, while Aston Villa were due to play six of their last 10 matches at Villa Park.
“What we can’t accept is a fundamental change to the competition three-quarters of the way through,” Barber said. “That is not fair and there is absolutely nobody who will convince me otherwise.”
Villa’s chief executive Christian Purslow said giving up home advantage “is a massive decision”.
Seven of the 20 top-flight clubs would need to officially reject neutral venues to stop the plan going ahead, although it has been reported the issue will not be put to a vote on Monday.
The Uefa deadline for restart proposals is May 25 and League Managers Association chief executive Richard Bevan has warned a failure to reach consensus soon could see the season cancelled.
Aware of the animosity between clubs, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish conceded it will not be easy to restart in the current climate.
“It may prove beyond us. We have huge challenges in order to get it back to complete the season but we are planning on doing so,” Parish told the BBC. “There are no easy answers. We have to work through it as a collective. I think we will come out with a consensus in the end.”
-AFP
Governing Bodies
FIFA opens disciplinary proceedings against Congo officials over financial misconduct
FIFA’s ethics committee launched disciplinary proceedings against three senior Congolese Football Federation (FECOFOOT) officials on Wednesday, including president Jean-Guy Mayolas, over allegations of financial misconduct.
Mayolas, his wife and his son were sentenced to life in prison earlier this month after a criminal court in the Congolese capital, Brazzaville, convicted them of embezzling $1.1 million in FIFA funds. Media reports said their whereabouts were not known , and they were tried in absentia.
FECOFOOT general secretary Wantete Badji and treasurer Raoul Kanda are also subject to the disciplinary proceedings, FIFA said. Badji and Kanda were sentenced to five years each in prison by the court in Brazzaville for related charges.
“These proceedings follow the receipt of information and documents during an audit,” FIFA said in a statement.
-Reuters
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The World Anti-Doping Agency is considering rewriting its rules to try barring President Donald Trump and all U.S. government officials from attending the LA Olympics in 2028, in a move that could also have implications for the World Cup being hosted by the U.S. this summer.
The proposal, on the agenda for next Tuesday’s meeting of the global drug-fighting watchdog’s executive committee, is the latest manoeuvre to come out of a yearslong refusal of the U.S. government to pay its annual dues to WADA.
The refusal is part of the American government’s unanimous, bipartisan protest of the agency’s handling of a case involving Chinese swimmers and other issues.
The Associated Press learned of the agenda item through correspondence it obtained between WADA and European officials involved in the agency’s decision-making. Two others with knowledge of the agenda confirmed the existence of the rules proposal to AP; they were not authorised to speak publicly about the agenda, which has not been released publicly.
The proposal was, in fact, first brought up in 2024, when U.S. authorities successfully lobbied for its rejection. The U.S. has since lost its seat on the executive committee.
“In spite of WADA’s increasing threats, we continue to stand firm in our demand for accountability and transparency from WADA to ensure fair competition in sport,” said Sara Carter, the director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).
The rule, if passed, would figure to be mostly symbolic, given the limits an international sports federation could have on the president of a country attending an event inside his own borders.
“I have never heard of a $50-million-budget Swiss foundation being able to enforce a rule to, for example, prevent the United States president from going anywhere,” said Carter’s predecessor at ONDCP, Rahul Gupta, who was on the WADA executive committee two years ago and led the movement to reject the proposal. “And the next question you have to ask is: How are you going to enforce it? Are they going to post a red notice from Interpol? It’s ludicrous. It’s clear they have not thought this through.”
In a news release after this story published, WADA said the AP story was “entirely misleading,” focusing on Fitzgerald’s statement to the AP that if proposals being discussed were “introduced, given that the rules would not apply retroactively, the FIFA World Cup, LA and Salt Lake City Games (in 2034) would not be covered.”
Fitzgerald’s only answer to three emails from AP seeking clarification on his initial response — specifically about how a rule that had not yet been adopted could or couldn’t be applied retroactively on events that are scheduled for the future — was: “I’m trying to say that it would not apply retroactively so those events would not be covered. Given that and the next meeting of the Board being scheduled for November, I don’t see how it could come into play for this year’s World Cup.”
-AP
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The Confederation of African Football has dismissed Yasin Osman Robleh, the Djiboutian official who headed its judicial bodies for the past six years, in a move aimed at restoring confidence in the organisation’s disciplinary processes.
According to reports from convergence sources, the decision was confirmed on Saturday by CAF Secretary General Veron Mosengo-Omba, bringing an abrupt end to Robleh’s tenure overseeing the confederation’s disciplinary and investigative committees since 2019.
Robleh’s position reportedly came under increasing pressure following the controversy surrounding sanctions imposed after the Africa Cup of Nations Final between Morocco and Senegal. The disciplinary decisions that followed the match sparked criticism from several quarters and placed CAF’s legal framework under intense scrutiny.
In response to the situation, CAF’s Executive Committee has appointed Togolese lawyer Cedric Egai, currently the confederation’s Director of Legal Affairs, as interim head of the judicial bodies.
Egai is expected to stabilise the organisation’s legal arm while CAF works toward appointing a permanent successor to Robleh.
Disciplinary Decisions Delayed
The leadership change has already affected ongoing disciplinary processes within the confederation. CAF’s disciplinary committee reportedly held hearings last Thursday on several cases, including the high-profile encounter involving Egypt’s Al Ahly and Morocco’s AS FAR.
However, decisions on those matters have been temporarily put on hold pending the confirmation of new leadership within the judicial structure.
Sources indicate that once a permanent successor is appointed, CAF will move swiftly to conclude outstanding disciplinary rulings affecting both clubs and national teams.
Restoring Confidence
The move is widely seen as part of CAF’s effort to restore confidence in its judicial system following weeks of controversy surrounding disciplinary decisions at major competitions.
Robleh’s departure closes a significant chapter in CAF’s legal administration, while Egai’s interim appointment signals a potential shift in leadership and governance at a critical time for African football.
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