Governing Bodies
VIDEO: QATAR VIRTUALLY UNVEILS WORLD CUP 2022 VENUE
Qatar inaugurated its latest new World Cup stadium on Monday (June 15) not with a sold-out football fixture, but with a socially-distanced tribute to the workers on the frontline of the fight against coronavirus.
Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra musicians sporting masks and gloves surrounded by candles played a soaring orchestral piece on the turf of the new Education City Stadium in a clip broadcast to mark the stadium’s opening.
It was interspersed with images of medical professionals and other frontline workers who made their way through the 40,000-capacity ground, which was shown with eerily empty stands, to applause from the Qatar national team.
“This is all a message of hope. And really, a big thank you to frontline workers around the world,” Nasser al-Khater, the chief executive of the 2022 World Cup, said after the inauguration. “It’s a small token of appreciation to them.”
Education City is the second of the seven stadiums being built from scratch for the 2022 tournament to be inaugurated.
It had been due to host the semi-final of the Club World Cup on December 18, but its opening was postponed because of delays to certification. It has yet to host a public fixture.
In April, coronavirus cases were confirmed in workers at three of the stadiums under construction, highlighting the difficulty of preventing the virus’ spread among labourers living and working in close proximity.
Nasser insisted that “more than 80 per cent” of the infrastructure required for 2022 was now complete.
Hassan al-Thawadi, the secretary general of the Qatari organisation charged with delivering the tournament, said finishing the stadium amid the pandemic had been “a big challenge”.
“But we managed to overcome it,” he said. “We were able to maintain the continuity of work in a positive way, but at the same time ensure a safe and healthy environment for everyone.”
Alongside the musical tribute, a pyrotechnic show both inside and outside the stadium was used to mark its completion.
In a video message for the opening, Fifa president Gianni Infantino paid tribute to those “who are still fighting against the Covid-19 pandemic”.
“The new stadium in Education City reminds us that football will return,” he said.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani used his clip to honour “the teams working on the frontline”.
“We truly believe in better days to come, the days when we will enjoy watching the stars of the game together,” he said.
The Education City ground, named for the surrounding university and research campuses, will host fixtures through to the quarter-finals.
After the tournament, half of its 40,000 seats will be donated to build stadiums in developing countries.
The organisers of the first World Cup to be staged in the Middle East faced fresh questions last week over the treatment of foreign labourers working on tournament projects.
Rights group Amnesty revealed that around a hundred sub-contractors at the flagship Al-Bayt stadium had not been paid wages for up to seven months.
Authorities banned the sub-contractor, which was recently sold to new owners, from all World Cup projects.
Two and a half years before the World Cup kicks off, Qatar has already launched the brand new 40,000-capacity Al-Janoub stadium and the refurbished Khalifa International ground.
-AFP
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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The supporters of Vancouver Whitecaps, a professional football (soccer) club in Canada, have staged a protest outside the FIFA Congress on Thursday, voicing fears that the Major League Soccer club could be relocated as uncertainty deepens over its ownership and long-term future.
The club is one of Canada’s most historic football institutions and has long been a central part of Vancouver’s sporting identity.
Around 100 fans gathered as delegates arrived for the annual FIFA meeting in Vancouver, chanting, singing and waving club flags in a show of solidarity. The demonstration comes just days after Vancouver Whitecaps FC revealed difficulties in securing a buyer willing to keep the club in the city.
The Whitecaps disclosed earlier this week that “stadium economics, venue access and revenue limitations” have complicated efforts to sell the club, despite a 16-month search for new ownership.
Season ticket holder Derek Hawksworth said supporters felt compelled to act amid growing fears of relocation.
“I wanted to come down given the threat of the team possibly moving,” he said. “It’s a rich history with the Whitecaps in North America… we want Vancouver to stay and not relocate. The history is here, and we want to continue with that history moving forward.”
The Vancouver Whitecaps are a professional football (soccer) club based in Vancouver, Canada. They currently compete in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top-tier league in the United States and Canada.
Concerns were heightened by reports that cities such as Las Vegas and Phoenix are leading contenders should the club relocate.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim has urged intervention, calling on the provincial government — which owns BC Place — to negotiate a “bridge deal” that would allow the team to remain while plans for a new stadium are explored. The club’s current lease at BC Place expires at the end of the year.
Despite the off-field uncertainty, the Whitecaps have been one of the standout teams this MLS season. They currently sit second in the Western Conference with 24 points from nine matches, just three points behind the San Jose Earthquakes.
For supporters, however, performances on the pitch offer little comfort as the future of their club hangs in the balance — a situation they hope global football leaders gathering in Vancouver will not ignore.
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