Governing Bodies
MESSI FACES POSSIBLE 6-MONTH BAN AND HUGE FINE
The potential departure of Lionel Messi from Barcelona may spark off some legal fireworks. Even though his contract stipulates that he could walk out at the end of a season, Barcelona board has insisted that the clause lapsed on June 30, the day the season should have ended.
But the season did not end then, as it coronavirus pandemic ensured the elongation of most football seasons especially in Europe.
According to Spanish outlets, some lawyers doubt Messi would be able to leave the club for free without serious repercussions.
Spanish legal experts Agustin Amoros Martinez and Francisco Dominguez explained to The Athletic, a subscription-based sports website, .the consequences of Messi’s potential legal battle against Barcelona, stating the player’s position is not so solid.
Some of the key points of the arguments point out that Messi’s position is weak. The footballer wants to leave for free, referring to the exit clause in his contract which allows him to unilaterally terminate his contract after each season.
Yet, the Catalan club insists the said clause expired on 10 June 20 days before the contractual end of the season.
According to Spanish law, the legal interpretation of the wording comes first which leaves Messi with nothing.
But Messi’s legal team may be claiming that the 2019-2020 campaign was extended due to the coronavirus pandemic which saw Barca ending their season on August 14 when they lost to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League.
In this case, Messi should have informed the club he wanted to leave 20 days before this date while he reportedly did it only on August 25.
If Leo loses the case, what could be the consequences? Messi has a €700m release clause in his contract, so if he leaves for free he would have to pay the exact €700m as a fine, according to both the FIFA rules and Spanish laws.
FIFA would also hand him a six-month ban which means he wouldn’t be able to play for any club he would join for this period of time.
As for the civil law, there is still hope the court may find the €700m release clause as ‘abusive’, preventing the player from leaving rather than showing his real value.
Moreover, Messi is now entering the final year of his contract, so the court may have the right to reduce the penalty, possibly down to €500m which is still very high.
Any side landing Messi for free will be at risk of facing a two-window transfer ban as a result of the court decision, according to the FIFA rules.
Moreover, his future club would have to pay the €700m (or €500m) fine if Messi wasn’t able to do it himself.
Yet, there are doubts whether a non-Spanish entity would be responsible if the matter is taken to the national court.
The legal conclusion could be that both Messi and his future club are at high risk of a huge financial and sporting penalty if they attempt to conclude a free transfer.
Messi’s only way out is either to pay off his €700m release clause or to negotiate with Barcelona over the terms of the transfer.
The president of the Confédération of African Football, Dr. Patrice Motsepe, has announced five new CAF Vice Presidents. They are:
- CAF First Vice President: Mr Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco)
- CAF Second Vice President: Mr Kurt Okraku (Ghana)
- CAF Third Vice President: Mr Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
- CAF Fourth Vice President: Ms Bestine Kazadi Ditabala (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- CAF Fifth Vice President: Mr Feizal Sidat (Mozambique)
In addition, the CAF President has co-opted Yacine Idriss Diallo, President of Fédération Ivoirienne de football, into the CAF Executive Committee.
The CAF Executive Committee also approved the names to fill vacant positions on several CAF Committees.
Organising Committee for the African Nations Championship (CHAN)
- President: Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
CAF Technical and Development Committee
- President: Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
- Vice President: Malouche Belhassen (Tunisia)
CAF Medical Committee:
- President: Dr. Mohammed Bouya (Mauritania)
- Vice President: Dr. Thulani Ngwenya (South Africa)
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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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