Governing Bodies
SOUTH AMERICAN FOOTBALL BODY ACCUSES FIFA OF DISCRIMINATORY CONCLUSIONS
BY NANCY GILLEN
The South American Soccer Confederation (CONMEBOL) and the Colombian Football Federation (CFC) have accused FIFA of “discriminatory conclusions” in its evaluation report of Colombia’s bid to host the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
CONMEBOL President Alejandro Domínguez and CFC President Ramón Jesurún wrote a joint letter to the FIFA Council after Colombia received the lowest rating of the three contenders bidding to host the tournament.
Australia and New Zealand’s joint bid received an average of 4.1 out of five, with Japan tallying 3.9 and Colombia 2.8.
The evaluation report covered areas including stadia, team facilities, accommodation, transport, security, event timing and commercial factors, with Colombia told it would need “a significant amount of investment and support from both local stakeholders and FIFA” to elevate its bid to the level of the other two.
The letter from Domínguez and Jesurún took issue with FIFA’s criticism of the medical services, doping and commercial aspects of the bid, claiming “erroneous and discriminatory conclusions” had been made.
They were also offended by references to terrorism in the report.
FIFA’s evaluation report said there had been a “significant reduction in domestic terrorism” in Colombia, but that “concerns remain in terms of the potential impact of crime on tournament stakeholders”.
“Colombia today lives in a time of stability and social peace, fruits of the efforts and maturity of its people,” Domínguez and Jesurún said, as reported by Reuters.
“It denotes ignorance in relation to Colombia’s situation, and a lack of interest in carrying out, at least, minimal research of the situation in which this country finds itself currently.”
It is not the first time CONMEBOL has accused FIFA of discrimination this year, with Domínguez accusing the governing body of a “clear abuse of power” when the decision was taken to hold a FIFA Council meeting by video conference, citing the coronavirus crisis.
The meeting was originally scheduled to take place in Asunción in Paraguay on March 20.
Criticism also came in May after FIFA decided to temporarily allow teams to make five substitutes, with Domínguez claiming that CONMEBOL had not been consulted on the move.
Colombia’s bid for the 2023 Women’s World Cup will now go forward to the FIFA Council, which is due to select the winner at an online meeting on Thursday (June 25).
FIFA were left with a three-horse race for their flagship women’s tournament after Brazil withdrew its bid at the start of June, citing financial concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Governing Bodies
Nigeria becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council
Laurels on the courts and now glory in the boardroom sums up the mark that badminton is making in Nigeria.
The President, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, has been elected as a council member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The election took place during the BWF Annual General Meeting on Saturday in Xiamen, China.
Orbih emerged victorious over top contenders from other African countries.
He will join Cameroon’s Odette Assembe Engoulou on the council, while Chipo Zumburani (Zimbabwe) and Hadia ElSaid (Egypt) missed out.
An elated Orbih expressed his gratitude to fellow badminton presidents across the globe for their trust and support.
He said, “I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by my peers across the badminton world.
“I look forward to quality representation, driving development initiatives, and strengthening badminton’s global reach over the next four years.”
Orbih also acknowledged the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, particularly the National Sports Commission (NSC), which he said played a significant role in his successful bid.
“The Chairman and the Director General of the NSC monitored the entire process. I’m grateful for their involvement and confident Nigeria will benefit from this,” he stated.
He further appreciated the BFN board members and the Nigerian badminton community for their prayers and continued belief in his leadership.
“From the day I declared my intentions, the board members of BFN have been supportive, and I promise not to disappoint them,” Orbih concluded.
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A former member of the FIFA Council, Mamoutou Toure, has been released from jail in Mali after almost two years in detention for alleged corruption, Malian media reports said on Wednesday.
Toure, president of the Malian Football Federation since 2019, was released after 622 days in prison on Tuesday.
He served on the FIFA Council, world football’s all-powerful decision-making body, for four years until last month when he lost his seat after failing to contest new elections.
The 67-year-old was arrested in August 2023 on allegations of embezzling $28 million of public funds but was granted a provisional release order by the Malian courts, reports said.
He was accused of misconduct during his time as the National Assembly’s financial and administrative director from 2013-2019.
Toure denied all charges and, during his time in jail, was last August re-elected as Malian Football Federation president for a second consecutive term, with his supporters claiming he was a victim of a conspiracy fuelled by detractors.
While in jail, he received a letter of support from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. However, as of last month, Toure is no longer a member of the FIFA Council or the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee.
-Reuters
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The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has denied reports of an outstanding debt to former captain Christian Chukwu and has challenged anyone with verifiable documents to prove otherwise.
Chukwu, a former national team captain and chief coach, died last Saturday.
The Nigeria Football Federation decried statements in a section of social media that the football-ruling body was indebted to the deceased.
Reacting to one statement on social media that claimed NFF owed the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations-winning team captain the sum of $128,000, NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, said: “There is no record in the NFF of any outstanding indebtedness to ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu.
“During the first term of the Board headed by Amaju Pinnick, a committee was set up to diligently peruse the papers of coaches who were being owed, even from previous NFF administrations.
“That committee was given the clear mandate to verify all debts and ensure that the coaches being owed were paid immediately. I am aware that the ‘Chairman’ was in the employ of the NFF between 2002 and 2005, before he was relieved of the post following the 1-1 draw with Angola in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Kano in August 2005. There is certainly no record of indebtedness to him in the NFF.”
Sanusi challenged anyone with genuine and verifiable documents of NFF indebtedness to any coach, who has worked with any of the National Teams over the past two decades, to come forward and tender those documents.
“As a credible organization that is very much alive to its responsibilities, if we are confronted with any genuine document of indebtedness to any coach, we will offset the debt immediately.”
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Nigeria becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council
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