Governing Bodies

CHAMPIONS FRANCE TO LEARN PATH TO QATAR IN WORLD CUP QUALIFYING DRAW

Published

5 years ago

December 7, 2020

***France will be in the first pot of seeds with Belgium, European champions Portugal and Croatia***

European nations led by reigning champions France will on Monday (Dec 7) learn their opponents in qualifying as they begin the long and congested road towards the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The draw for the qualifying stage will take place in a virtual ceremony at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich, allowing France and leading lights like Kylian Mbappe to start tracing out their route to a successful defence of the trophy in Doha.

Two years since their triumph in Moscow, the French look the strongest side around, and recently qualified for the finals of the Nations League that take place next October.

“We mustn’t start believing we are better than we are but we do have the feeling that we can still do some great things,” France coach Didier Deschamps said this week as he looked ahead to a packed 2021.

Qatar and FIFA recently celebrated marking two years to go until the start of the controversial tournament, which will start on Nov 21, 2022 and conclude with the final on Dec 18 after being moved to the northern hemisphere winter.

Playing with the dates of football’s biggest events has become commonplace due to the coronavirus pandemic, and qualifying is scheduled to start with three rounds of matches next March, before the delayed Euro 2020 tournament goes ahead in June and July.

France will be joined in the first pot of seeds for Monday’s draw by the world’s top-ranked side Belgium, reigning European champions Portugal and Croatia, the team they defeated in the 2018 final in Moscow.

England, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands will also be top seeds, with only the winners of each of the 10 groups qualifying automatically for the finals.

Uphill struggle

The 10 runners-up will go into playoffs alongside the two best Nations League group winners who miss out on qualifying via the traditional path.

Those playoffs will produce three more qualifiers in total, with Europe having 13 spots out of the 32 at the finals.

France, Belgium, Italy and Spain will all be placed in qualifying groups of five teams by virtue of having qualified for the final four of the Nations League in Italy next October.

It all points to a continuing pile-up of matches.

For example, a team that reaches the final of Euro 2020 can expect to play 17 competitive games between March and November next year.

Club managers like Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp have bitterly criticised the number of games their players are being asked to play for club and country, and that issue is likely to come to the fore again over the course of 2021.

The continent’s more modest nations have had their access to the European Championship opened up by that competition’s expansion to 24 teams, but reaching the World Cup promises to be a far more arduous task.

For example, after qualifying for Euro 2020 to reach their first major tournament since the 1998 World Cup, Scotland will face an uphill struggle to make it to Qatar.

Their world ranking of 48 means they are in the third pot of seeds, so could go into a group with, for example, France and Switzerland.

Scotland’s prospects of making the World Cup were not helped by their failure to top their Nations League group last month.

“The playoff route via the Nations League has gone – we’ll just need to qualify from the group. That has got to be the aim,” said Scotland manager Steve Clarke.

World Cup qualifying has already started elsewhere, including in South America which began its marathon 10-team round-robin tournament in October.

-AFP

Governing Bodies

FIFA bans former Guyana football official Alves for five years over harassment

Published

4 days ago

May 5, 2026

Kunle Solaja

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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Governing Bodies

Infantino to seek fourth term as FIFA president

Published

1 week ago

May 1, 2026

Kunle Solaja

The 76th FIFA Congress - Vancouver Convention Centre, Vancouver, Canada - April 30, 2026 FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during the congress as the FIFA World Cup Trophy is seen REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier

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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Governing Bodies

FIFA Congress Overshadowed by Whitecaps Supporters’ Protest

Published

1 week ago

May 1, 2026

Kunle Solaja

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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