Governing Bodies
CHEERING BANNED AS SOUTH KOREAN, CHINESE WOMEN FINALLY BATTLE FOR PLACE IN TOKYO GAMES
After repeated postponements stretching back more than a year because of the coronavirus pandemic, South Korea and China’s women’s football teams will finally meet on Thursday (April 8) for a last-ditch spot at the Tokyo Olympics.
The first leg takes place in Goyang, South Korea, and the return fixture is on April 13 in the Chinese city of Suzhou, with a place in July’s delayed 2020 Games up for grabs.
The Olympic qualifier was first scheduled for March last year but became an early victim of the pandemic, and has been postponed three times.
When the Asian rivals belatedly clash, they will do so with Covid-19 still hanging heavy over the tie.
The Chinese squad landed in South Korea this week dressed in full protective bodysuits, complete with goggles, gloves and masks.
And while the first leg at Goyang Stadium, near Seoul, is open to some spectators, the limited number of fans allowed in have been told not to eat or shout in an attempt to contain infections.
It is a taste of what could lie ahead for the team who reach the Olympics, which have been pushed back by a year to July 23-Aug 8.
There are only two berths left at Tokyo in the women’s football, with Cameroon facing Chile for the other.
China hope it will be a victorious final chapter in a tortuous journey to Tokyo which began in Wuhan, ground zero of the pandemic.
‘Great opportunity’
The squad were training in Wuhan for an Olympic qualifying tournament scheduled to be held there in February last year, but the competition was moved to Nanjing, then Sydney, as the coronavirus took hold.
The team left Wuhan a day before it went into the world’s first virus lockdown on Jan 23.
They flew to Australia but were forced to quarantine in a hotel, where they were pictured doing stretches in a corridor. Their predicament made headlines because such measures were rare then.
When they finally got out, Jia Xiuquan’s side – missing star player Wang Shuang, who was stuck in Wuhan – won twice and drew once.
With China then at the centre of the coronavirus, the team became a defiant symbol back home, meaning there is more interest than normal in how they fare against the Koreans.
History beckons for South Korea, who have never qualified for the Olympics since women’s football was first included at Atlanta 1996, where China were beaten by hosts the United States in the final.
The Chinese women are now 15th in the Fifa rankings, three places above their opponents.
Experienced Korean defender Kim Hye-ri said it was a relief to get the game on finally.
“Such a great opportunity will never come again,” she said.
“We’ve suffered tremendously from our failure to advance to (past) Olympics.
“I really want to be able to smile this time.”
-AFP
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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