Governing Bodies
DOUBTS OVER SOUTH AMERICAN WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
This month’s World Cup qualifiers in South America are in serious doubt, with European clubs unlikely to release their players to travel amid concern over the Covid-19 pandemic and quarantine restrictions.
World football’s governing body Fifa has relaxed its normal rules about player-release for internationals because of the pandemic and worries about the impact of long-distance travel to areas with high case rates. Clubs are expected to keep their players at home.
All 10 South American countries feature on the British government’s “red list” travel ban, which does not include exemptions for athletes and sports people. Any UK-based players who played in the games would face 10 days in hotel quarantine on return.
That in itself makes it difficult for clubs to consider agreeing to South American federation Conmebol’s requests.
“I think everybody agrees – we can’t let the players go and play for their country and then quarantine for 10 days in a hotel. That’s not how we can do it,” said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, whose team includes Brazilian trio Alisson Becker, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino.
Conmebol, which organises the qualifiers in the region for the 2022 World Cup, wants clubs to release their players for the March 25 and March 30 games, but it is running out of options.
Conmebol said its council will meet on Friday (March 5) to discuss the situation and added that it is in contact with Fifa as it searches for a solution.
Fifa said it has yet to make any demands on Conmebol.
“Fifa is in ongoing contact with all the confederations and the member associations on this matter. We are working and monitoring the situation together and Fifa hasn’t made any specific request at this stage. Further information will be provided in due course,” said the Zurich-based body.
Conmebol is reluctant to play the games without European-based players and has not considered moving the fixtures to “bubbles” in Europe. It faces a scheduling problem, however as its continental championship, the Copa America, is set for June in Argentina and Colombia.
LIMITED SPACE
With 14 rounds of matches still to be completed in the World Cup qualifying process, which is due to end in March 2022, there is limited space for the games.
“It is difficult to postpone the Fifa dates, there is no space, you cannot tighten the qualifiers,” Ecuador FA president Francisco Egas told his local station Radio La Red.
“There is strong pressure from European clubs not to give up their players for the qualifiers. Fifa must be in the middle to help get an understanding.”
However, Fifa has limited influence. Quarantine rules are set by national governments.
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has struck a similar tone to Klopp.
“We’ve not sat down and made a proper call on that one, but it doesn’t make sense if you lose your player for 10 days of isolation, of course it doesn’t,” Solskjaer said on Wednesday.
His squad includes Brazilians Fred and Alex Telles along with Uruguayan forward Edinson Cavani.
“We’re the ones paying the players, and from what I understand Fifa have given the rules that they don’t have to be released. So I would think that’s going to be a hard call to make to let them go and play in red-list countries, yeah.”
One option could be to play the games just before the June 11 start to the Copa America. One source indicated Conmebol may ask Fifa to create a special extra “window” for rearranged games.
-Reuters
By Kunle Solaja.
Nigeria is set to host the 48th Ordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), marking the third time the country will stage the continent’s top football gathering.
The development was confirmed in a statement issued by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), which disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the sidelines of the ongoing Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, approved Nigeria’s proposal to host the event.
The approval followed a meeting between President Tinubu and CAF President Patrice Motsepe, attended by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau, former NFF President and Special Adviser to the CAF President Amaju Melvin Pinnick, as well as CAF Acting General Secretary Samson Adamu.
Sports Villages Square affirms that Nigeria previously hosted the CAF Congress at the National Theatre in Lagos in March 1980 and again in February 2009, when the late CAF President Issa Hayatou secured another four-year term in office.
In addition to this year’s 48th Ordinary General Assembly, scheduled for October, Nigeria also secured the hosting rights of the CAF Awards ceremony. The annual awards gala, which celebrates Africa’s top football performers, has been staged in Morocco over the past three years.
Nigeria had earlier hosted the CAF Awards when telecom firm, Globacom, was the headline sponsor. This year’s event will be the seventh to be held in Nigeria after those of 2005, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014 and 2016.
The CAF Ordinary General Assembly traditionally attracts key football stakeholders from across the continent, including presidents of CAF’s 54 member associations, representatives of the six zonal unions and senior football administrators.
The CAF Awards ceremony is regarded as one of African football’s flagship events, honouring outstanding players, coaches, clubs and officials in a glamorous setting that showcases the continent’s football excellence.
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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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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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