Governing Bodies
UEFA WEIGHS $9.6 BILLION CENTRICUS DEAL TO STOP BREAKAWAY SUPER LEAGUE
UEFA is in discussions with Centricus Asset Management over a €6 billion (S$9.6 billion) financing package to overhaul its flagship football tournament and stop plans for a new breakaway Super League, according to people familiar with the matter.
The Switzerland-based sporting body is working with Centricus on a plan to fund a new-look Uefa Champions League tournament, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential information.
Negotiations are ongoing and there is no certainty that the Union of European Football Associations and London-based Centricus will reach an agreement, according to the people. A representative for Centricus declined to comment, while a spokesman for Uefa did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It comes as Uefa prepares to battle with a new Super League that could mark the biggest upheaval of European football since the 1950s and end the Champions League’s decades-long reign as the world’s premier club contest.
A group of the world’s richest football clubs, including Manchester United and Real Madrid, announced plans for the breakaway league starting in August in a statement early on Monday (April 19).
The marquee names – six from England, three from Italy and three from Spain have signed up so far – would play each other midweek as an alternative to the Uefa tournament. In addition to what will be 15 permanent teams, another five will qualify each year for the Super League.
The €4 billion plan, which is being bankrolled by JP Morgan Chase & Co, has already drawn heavy criticism from domestic leagues and politicians. Uefa has said it could ban Super League team players from national teams that take part in the European Championship and World Cup.
Centricus has been in talks with Uefa for a number of months regarding financing, a person familiar with the matter said. The investment firm had discussed an initial package of about €4.2 billion, which was raised to €6 billion following the rival Super League proposal, the person said.
Centricus, which oversees about US$30 billion (S$39.8 billion) in assets, according to its website, is well connected to large, wealthy institutions in the Middle East and Asia, and helped SoftBank Group raise US$100 billion for its massive Vision Fund.
The firm was started in 2016 by Mr Nizar Al-Bassam, a former investment banker at Deutsche Bank, and former Goldman Sachs Group partner Dalinc Ariburnu.
Despite running a small team from London, Centricus has become known for a string of opportunistic deals. It is currently working with Indian commodities tycoon Anil Agarwal on a plan to invest US$10 billion in turnaround opportunities in India, and last year made a last-minute pitch to buy TikTok’s operations in several countries for US$20 billion. In 2019, it made a foray into the high-end hotel and resorts sector and bought the iconic Capri Palace Hotel and Spa.
Within the sports industry, Centricus was also part of a consortium, alongside SoftBank and Fifa, to launch a brace of new football tournaments, and has held talks to invest in Swiss club FC Basel.
Proponents argue that the Super League would create a more exciting competition because the game’s very top teams would play each other more often. It would also be lucrative for them, with permanent membership removing the uncertainty of the Champions League, whose teams must qualify annually or risk losing broadcasting and sponsorship revenue.
But the idea of creating a competition that removes the drama of a smaller team such as four-time champions Ajax winning the trophy, or of a bigger club having to qualify in the first place, has angered supporter groups and former players, who say it rides roughshod over the history and culture of the club game.
Even if the Super League plan is stopped by its opponents, it represents a powerful threat that could help the clubs win more concessions from Uefa.
The body’s plans to expand the Champions League from 32 to 36 teams and increase the number of games have irked some teams complaining the season already has too many matches.
-Bloomberg
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.
Visit the Sports Village Square Channel:
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
Visit the Sports Village Square Channel:
https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Argentina Begin World Cup Title Defence Against Ambitious Algeria
Iraq Return to World Cup Stage After 40 Years, Face High-Flying Norway in Group Opener
Austria Return to World Cup Stage After 28 Years as Jordan Prepare for Historic Debut
Breaking! Uzoho suspended from Super Eagles’ next match with Sierra Leone
No longer Super League as CAF changes name of its new clubs competition
NIGERIAN FOOTBALL CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SANUSI CHARGES NIGERIAN COACHES TO BE UPRIGHT, DILIGENT
- International Football1 week ago
Eriksen Suffers Fresh Collapse During Denmark Friendly, Reviving Memories of Euro 2020 Ordeal
- World Cup1 week ago
Pelé’s 1970 World Cup Hideaway Becomes Tourist Attraction as Mexico Hosts Tournament for Record Third Time
- World Cup1 week ago
Strike Threat Looms Over USA-Paraguay World Cup Match at SoFi Stadium
- World Cup1 week ago
Iran’s World Cup team arrive in Tijuana with US tensions high
- International Football1 week ago
Iwobi Salutes Nigerians Ahead of Landmark 100th Super Eagles Appearance
- World Cup1 week ago
Nine injured in shooting near England’s World Cup base camp
- WAFCON1 week ago
Falcons Truly Super in 3-0 Defeat of Senegal in Ikenne
- World Cup6 days ago
World Cup, America’s 250th Independence Anniversary Set Stage for Historic Summer