Governing Bodies
IOC APPROVES BRISBANE AS PREFERRED HOST OF 2032 OLYMPIC GAMES
Brisbane has taken a huge step towards securing the hosting rights for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed the Australian region as its preferred candidate.
The IOC is set to open exclusive negotiations – or “targeted dialogue” – with Australian officials over staging the Games in 11 years’ time following the Executive Board’s decision to approve a recommendation from the Future Host Summer Commission during its remote meeting today.
insidethegames exclusively revealed that Brisbane would be installed as the IOC’s non-binding preferred bidder.
Kristin Kloster Aasen, the chair of the Future Host Summer Commission, said work would begin with Queensland officials “immediately” and results on the discussions will be presented to the Executive Board “in due course”.
Kloster Aasen suggested Queensland need only to submit documents and the required guarantees needed to host the Games before the commission is in a position to formally recommend Brisbane as the host for the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics.
While the Norwegian said it was “not a done deal”, it now appears all-but certain that Australia will host the Games for the first time since Sydney staged the event in 2000.
It is thought unlikely that the vote – where the IOC membership will be asked to green light a single candidate – will come at the Session planned to take place prior to the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
Kloster Aasen cited the “very advanced Games concept”, the masterplan being proposed by Brisbane, Australia’s “high level” of experience in hosting major events and the “strong support” for the bid from Government officials as the main reasons for the recommendation.
“This is an important next step in an ongoing dialogue with the Future Host Commission,” said AOC President and IOC vice-president John Coates.
“We are very clear that we must continue to work hard in outlining our vision for a successful Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2032.”
Today’s confirmation will come as a disappointment to countries, including Qatar, India, Indonesia, China, Germany and Hungary, who had expressed an interest in staging the Games in 2032.
The Future Host Commission chair said the German Olympic and Sports Confederation had earlier this month opted against entering what it calls the continuous dialogue phase with the group, but did not refer to any other possible bidders.
Brisbane is set to be the first city awarded a Summer Olympic Games under the IOC’s new process for selecting the host of its flagship event.
The IOC in 2019 established Future Host Commissions, which identify and recommend venues for the Games and enter into dialogue with prospective countries and cities over staging the Summer and Winter Olympics.
This has led to the previous approach of pitting competing cities against one another to host the Olympics for a given year and then announcing the winner seven years in advance being abandoned.
The old bidding system created “too many losers” among rejected host cities, who often spent millions of dollars on promoting their campaign and often never bid again, IOC President Bach has claimed.
The IOC will undoubtedly face criticism about a lack of transparency since Coates, head of the AOC and a close ally of Bach, chaired a working group in 2019 that examined changing the process for selecting a host city for 2032 onwards.
Bach insisted today that Coates had no input in the recommendation that the Future Host Commission begin exclusive talks with Brisbane over staging the 2032 Games.
The IOC President also rejected criticism regarding the new system, which sees a small group of members propose host cities to the ruling Executive Board.
Bach claimed the new process is “more low-cost, helps prevent any undue interference, makes it less political, and makes it more and more sober”.
He said the previous system “also led to governance problems” and saw candidates publicly attacking each other as part of their campaigns.
“This was not the best procedure, neither for the future of the Games nor the reputation of the IOC,” Bach said.
-insidethegames
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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