Governing Bodies
PREMIER CLUBS COULD BE STRANDED WHEN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RESUMES
The European campaigns of several English clubs have been thrown into chaos after the government confirmed a two-week quarantine will be imposed on UK arrivals.
The crackdown was announced in Friday’s daily press briefing, with those coming into the country set to undertake an isolation period of 14 days from June 8.
However, sports stars were not given an exemption from the rule – which has posed a logistics nightmare for British teams still in the Champions League and Europa League.
The authorities are said to be keen to keep any exemptions concerning international arrivals to a bare minimum – with foreign officials, hauliers and medical workers among those excused.
The measures are likely to make international travel to the UK all but impossible for foreign teams.
Real Madrid would be forced to remain in lockdown for a fortnight upon landing before being able to train and face Manchester City in the second leg of their last-16 clash.
Chelsea are also still to jet to Bavaria for their return leg with Bayern Munich – and would encounter a similar scenario when they return to England.
The return dates for the Premier League, Champions League and Europa League are yet to be confirmed, with the top flight’s Project Restart proposals continuing to be met with vocal opposition from a number of players.
But when the competition does eventually restart, the teams that will have to fly across the continent for European games are posed with a nightmare scenario.
For the next round of fixtures, Chelsea and Real Madrid may potentially have to miss out on two domestic matchweeks due to the quarantine period.
However, sports bosses appeared to have initially persuaded Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden to appeal for an exemption for players.
Despite this, the minister was overruled by the Department of Health and the Cabinet Office.
According to The Sun, a government source revealed that No 10 plan for the ‘regime to be robust’.
The restrictions were introduced to help prevent a second rise in coronavirus infections from travellers – and breaches may result in a £1,000 fixed penalty notice in England, or prosecution with an unlimited fine.
City and Chelsea remain in the Champions League, although the latter appear set to crash out after suffering a heavy first-leg defeat against Bayern in February.
However, UEFA remaine hopeful of finishing the competition in just three months’ time despite the initial confusion posed by the lockdown.
The governing body may now have to seek out alternative arrangements to ensure that both ties are completed.
They will also have to consider the rest of Manchester United, Wolves and Rangers’ Europa League campaigns.
The Old Trafford outfit thumped LASK in the first leg of their last-16 tie in Austria, but are yet to welcome their opponents for the second game at Old Trafford.
There has been no major sport held in the UK since mid-March, when the lockdown started to be enforced nationwide.
And in what appeared to be a much-needed boost to morale, senior Downing Street figures appeared to have agreed that sportsmen would not be expected to adhere to the protective travelling measures.
The Sun reported that the players would have undergone rigorous testing, and would have been expected to enter isolation immediately after a positive test.
But recent developments, including the reported government U-turn have raised further questions over the rest of the campaign.
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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