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“
World football governing body, FIFA, today clocks its 122nd anniversary, celebrating more than a century of overseeing and expanding the global game.
Founded on May 21, 1904, in Paris, France, FIFA began with just seven member associations — France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
From that modest beginning, the organisation has grown into the most influential sports governing body in the world, with 211 member associations spread across all continents.
Over the decades, FIFA has transformed football into a truly global phenomenon through competitions such as the FIFA World Cup, Women’s World Cup, Club World Cup, youth tournaments, and developmental programmes aimed at growing the game worldwide.
The organisation has also witnessed remarkable milestones, including the expansion of the men’s World Cup from 13 teams in 1930 to 48 teams beginning from the 2026 edition to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
FIFA’s journey has equally reflected football’s growing influence beyond sport, with the game becoming a major tool for diplomacy, social inclusion, youth empowerment, and economic development across the world.
As FIFA celebrates 122 years of existence, attention is now focused on the future of the game, technological innovations, expanded competitions, women’s football growth, and the continued globalisation of football.
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UEFA has issued a lifetime ban to Petr Vlachovsky, a Czech women’s soccer coach who secretly filmed his players, the governing body announced on Tuesday.
Czech media reported that the coach was convicted in May 2025 and initially received a suspended one-year prison sentence and a five-year domestic coaching ban for filming FC Slovacko’s players in changing rooms, the youngest of whom was 17.
In a statement, UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) said it had decided to ban Vlachovsky “from exercising any football-related activity for life” following the appointment of an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector to investigate allegations of potential misconduct.
“The CEDB further decided to request FIFA to extend the abovementioned ban on a worldwide level and to order the Football Association of the Czech Republic to revoke Mr Petr Vlachovsky’s coaching licence,” the statement added.
FC Slovacko did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Football players’ union FIFPRO welcomed the ban as well as UEFA’s request for world soccer governing body FIFA to impose an international ban on Vlachovsky.
“This outcome sends a strong and necessary message that abusive and inappropriate behaviour has no place in football and that safeguarding the well-being of players must remain a priority at every level of the game,” FIFPRO added in a statement.
Vlachovsky had also previously served as coach of the Czech women’s Under-19s team.
RELATED STORY: https://sportsvillagesquare.com/2026/04/08/outrage-as-male-coach-who-secretly-filmed-women-players-still-free-to-work-in-football/
-Reuters
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Southampton have been kicked out of the Championship playoff final after being found guilty of spying on semi-final opponents Middlesbrough, the English Football League said on Tuesday.
Middlesbrough, who lost 2-1 to Southampton on aggregate in the semi, have been reinstated and will face Hull City on Saturday in what is dubbed the world’s richest soccer match.
Promotion to the Premier League, even with an immediate relegation, is estimated to be worth in the region of 200 million pounds ($268.10 million) over three seasons.
Southampton, who admitted the charges, were also found guilty of filming training sessions involving Oxford United in December and Ipswich Town in April during the regular season.
They have also been deducted four points from the start of next season in England’s second tier.
“An Independent Disciplinary Commission has today expelled Southampton from the Championship play-offs after the club admitted multiple breaches of EFL regulations related to the unauthorised filming of other clubs’ training,” the EFL said.
“Southampton admitted breaches of Regulations requiring Clubs to act with the utmost good faith and prohibiting the observation of another Club’s training session within 72 hours of a scheduled match.
“The effect of today’s order is that Middlesbrough are reinstated into the 2026 play-offs and will proceed to the play-off final against Hull City. The final remains scheduled for Saturday 23 May, with the kick-off time to be confirmed.”
The EFL confirmed that Southampton could appeal against the decision and that “parties are working to try and resolve any appeal on Wednesday 20 May.
“Subject to the outcome, it could result in a further change to Saturday’s fixture,” the statement said.
‘BORO CALLED FOR SOUTHAMPTON EXPULSION
Middlesbrough had called for Southampton’s expulsion after having a training session at their Rockliffe Park site filmed 48 hours ahead of the first leg of their playoff semi-final with Southampton which ended 0-0.
The north-east club said they welcomed the decision.
“We believe this sends out a clear message for the future of our game regarding sporting integrity and conduct,” the north Middlesbrough said in a statement.
“As a club, we are now focused on our game against Hull City at Wembley on Saturday.”
Southampton were relegated from the Premier League last season and were struggling in the early part of this campaign until a storming finish in which they went unbeaten in 19 league games to finish fourth and enter the playoffs.
The south-coast club are the first to fall foul of the Football League’s regulation 127 — brought in after Leeds United were found guilty of spying on Derby County seven years ago, an offence for which they were fined 200,000 pounds.
-Reuters
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