Governing Bodies
BEHOLD, THE PASSIONATE LETTER BARCA BOARD WROTE ASKING FOR REFERENDUM DELAY
The embattled president of FC Barcelona, Josep Maria Bartomeu has written a letter to Pere Aragones, the vice-president of Catalonia pleading for delay in holding a referendum that could spell doom for his board.
Although Bartomeu denied knowledge of the letter, it has however been leaked on the internet.
In it, the Barcelona president asked the official to delay the referendum because it puts at risk the health of the club members.
Sports Villages Square via Tribuna.com present the most important parts of the letter.
“Honourable sir,
“I see myself again in the obligation to address you, driven by the exceptional health situation in our country, and it has become clear that the pandemic is worsening as the Council of Ministers of the Government of Spain has declared the state of alarm in accordance with the provisions of the Royal Decree. Indeed, from the moment the No Confidence Voting Board notified our Board of Directors of the fulfilment of the requirements for holding the corresponding vote, our Club has wanted to comply with the statutory mandate of our proposed protocol to be able to carry the voting in a decentralized way with the maximum health guarantees for both our group of club members, as well as four our more than 300 workers who will have to carry the operation of the two days of voting through their presence.
“FC Barcelona has an electoral census made up of 110,000 members to whom our Board of Directors must guarantee without exception the full exercise of their right to vote regardless of their place of residence, and for this reason, it was proposed at first a voting protocol that forced us to carry out large planning with logistical and organizational complexity to design 21 polling stations.
“Despite the club’s effort in designing a decentralized voting process, the delay of one week of the visa of the said protocol and the aggravation of the situation forces us to redefine the plan and vote in a single venue, at our stadium, given the material impossibility of obtaining the necessary authorizations for the proposals which, with the latest measures adopted by the various administrations involved, is simply impossible.
“If to the insurmountable geographical difficulties, we add the particular configuration of our electorate, with an average age of 58, with more than 40,000 members who are over 60 years old or with some kind of functional diversity, making it difficult to exercise their right to vote autonomously and independently, the difficulties guaranteeing the right to vote for our entire census are endless, but nevertheless, for our Board of Directors, our main concern is to avoid any action that may put at risk these groups in the face of the infectious virus.
“In this new context, our responsibility and the gravity of the situation requires us to return to the Government, and in this case to its highest official, to consult you again, given the new legal framework established with the declaration of the state of alar, if to date the appropriate conditions are given and with sufficient regulatory and health security to convene and carry out the act of the vote of censure on November 2, and in this case, given the impossibility of decentralizing the voting in 21 venues, to carry it out in a sing venue at our stadium.
“I have convened a meeting of our Board of Directors tomorrow, extraordinary and urgent, and given the importance of your answer to the present, I am obliged to state that we will consider interrupting the calculation of the term that our statutes indicate for the convening and subsequent voting of the motion when a decision in this regard arrives from the government.
“At a time of great decisions and great responsibilities for all, because we risk the lives and well-being of many people, our Entity has always been by the side of the country’s institutions in a loyal and committed way, and we will continue to be so, protecting the public and adding twists and turns in this terrible fight against the pandemic.
“Waiting for the answer to our request, I remain at your disposal for what you deem opportune and offering you once again all our predisposition and collaboration.
“Josep Maria Bartomeu I Floreta“
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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