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

South America’s CONMEBOL backs FIFA President Infantino for fourth term

Published

2 days ago

April 10, 2026

Kunle Solaja

South American football’s governing body (CONMEBOL) gave Gianni Infantino its backing on Thursday, should he decide to run for reelection as FIFA ‌president for a fourth term.

While Infantino has yet to confirm whether he will run for the 2027–2031 term, CONMEBOL’s council said in a statement that it “unanimously expressed its support” for the 56-year-old’s ⁠leadership ahead of a potential bid.

“President Gianni Infantino, thank you for your continued commitment to the development of South American football and for the leadership exercised at a global level,” CONMEBOL President Alejandro Dominguez said.

“We deeply value your closeness to our region and your vision to continue growing the game worldwide.”

CONMEBOL ‌is ⁠the first federation to express support for Infantino’s re-election.

The Swiss took office in 2016, taking over from Sepp Blatter, and was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and again ⁠in 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 expanded to ⁠32 teams.

Infantino’s tenure has also drawn some criticism over issues such as governance and calendar congestion.

-Reuters

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Governing Bodies

FIFA opens disciplinary proceedings over Islamophobic chants in Spain-Egypt match

Published

4 days ago

April 8, 2026

Kunle Solaja

A big screen displays a anti discrimination message inside the stadium during the match REUTERS/Albert Gea

FIFA has started disciplinary proceedings against the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF) over Islamophobic and xenophobic chants during a ‌friendly between Spain and Egypt on March 31, the global soccer body said on Tuesday.

At the RCDE Stadium near Barcelona, the home ground of LaLiga ⁠club Espanyol, Spanish supporters chanted “who doesn’t jump is a Muslim” during the World Cup warm-up match, which ended in a goalless draw.

“FIFA has opened disciplinary proceedings today against the Spanish FA for the incidents in the friendly against Egypt,” FIFA said ‌in ⁠a statement.

Spanish police launched an investigation into the chants last week.

Spain winger Lamine Yamal condemned the chants as disrespectful and intolerable in an ⁠Instagram post.

The Egyptian Football Association also condemned the chants as an entirely unacceptable “repugnant act of ⁠racism,” and added that the acts of a small group of spectators would ⁠not affect the close relations between the Spanish and Egyptian federations.

-Reuters

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Governing Bodies

Adamu Targets Lasting Legacy as CAF Acting General Secretary

Published

4 days ago

April 7, 2026

Kunle Solaja

Samson Adamu (right0 in his inaugural appearance as the acting General Secretary of CAF.

The newly appointed Acting General Secretary of the Confederation of African Football, Samson Adamu, has declared his ambition to leave a lasting legacy as he assumes one of the most influential administrative roles in African football.

Adamu was named to the position on Sunday, March 29, 2026, during a CAF Executive Committee meeting held at the Giza Palace Hotel in Cairo. His appointment, proposed by CAF President Patrice Motsepe, received unanimous ratification from the committee.

Speaking shortly after his elevation, Adamu expressed both gratitude and determination. “I am elated by this appointment. I am determined to serve African football with humility, integrity, and professionalism,” he said.

His emergence is historic, as he becomes the first Nigerian—and indeed the first West African—to occupy the position in the 69-year history of CAF, a development widely seen as a significant milestone for the region’s growing influence within continental football governance.

Adamu’s journey to the summit of African football administration reflects a career shaped by innovation, passion, and administrative excellence. Fifteen years ago, he initiated the globally acclaimed COPA Lagos Beach Soccer tournament in Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos. The event attracted top teams from around the world and set new benchmarks in organisation, marketing, officiating, and fan engagement.

The success of COPA Lagos played a pivotal role in Nigeria earning the hosting rights for the 2016 CAF Beach Soccer Cup of Nations, further cementing Adamu’s reputation as a forward-thinking sports administrator.

He later joined CAF in Cairo, rising through the ranks from Director of Competitions to Director of Tournaments and Events, positions in which he oversaw the planning and execution of several major continental championships.

Adamu also carries a rich administrative lineage. He is the son of Amos Adamu, a towering figure in Nigerian and international sports administration. Dr Adamu served as sole administrator of the then Nigeria Football Association in the early 1990s and later as Director of Sports Development in the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports.

He was also a central figure in Nigeria’s hosting of the 8th All-Africa Games in 2003, after securing a seat on the CAF Executive Committee in 2002 in Bamako, Mali, and earning re-election during the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia. His influence extended globally when he was elected into the FIFA Executive Committee in 2006, alongside serving as Director General of the National Sports Commission.

With such a formidable background and personal track record, expectations are high that Samson Adamu will bring fresh ideas, administrative stability, and a renewed sense of purpose to CAF’s operations at a time when African football is seeking greater credibility, growth, and global competitiveness.

His tenure, though currently in an acting capacity, is already being closely watched as a potential turning point in the evolution of football governance on the continent.

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