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
Governing Bodies
Sanusi set for record-extending tenure as Nigeria’s football politicians assemble in Asaba
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Speculations gathered ahead of the 2024 Annual General Meeting of the Nigeria Football Federation holding in Asaba on Friday have it that tenure elongation for the General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, is a major item on the agenda.
Neither formal confirmation nor denial has been issued since one of the leading newspapers in Nigeria, ThisDay dropped the hint.
The agenda of the meeting is also not made public. Dr, Sanusi is the longest-serving General Secretary in history having been in office from 30 March 2015 making 3,476 days or nine years six months and four days.
It easily drowned that of his closest rival in tenure – Sani Toro whose tenure from 21 December 1993 to 3 May 1999 is merely 2020 days or five years, six months and 12 days.
Thus, no one had enjoyed a longer period in office than the incumbent, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi. It is speculated that the tenure will be extended as NFF has reported that all delegates have arrived in the Delta State capital by Thursday evening.
The NFF Annual General Assembly, the first of which took place 90 years ago in Lagos on 19 February 1934, is the biggest assemblage of football administrators and stakeholders in the country.
In one such meeting on 24 July 2008 in Makurdi, the football body changed its name from NFA to NFF.
This year, according to a press release by the NFF, the plenary will have in attendance, the chairmen and secretaries of football associations in the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory, chairmen and secretaries of the Nigeria Premier Football League, Nigeria National League, Nigeria Women Football League and the Nationwide League One, as well as chairmen and secretaries of the referees’ association, players’ union and coaches’ association. This group of 88 makes up the Congress.
They are joined by the members of the NFF Executive Committee and the management team as well as former NFF Presidents and General Secretaries.
The Minister of Sports Development, John Owan Enoh, is announced as the special guest. Nigeria’s Member of the FIFA Council, Amaju Melvin Pinnick is also expected as well as a representative of the West African Football Union (WAFU B).
The Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Francis Oborevwori will declare the General Assembly open.
Venue is the Unity Hall of the Delta State Government House.
Governing Bodies
Like in Egypt, former Nigerian Olympian, Sadiq Abdulahi wants Tinubu to declare ‘State of Emergency’ in Sports
Former Nigerian tennis player and Olympian, Prof. Sadiq Abdulahi has called for drastic action to arrest the decline of Nigeria in global sporting events.
The former tennis player who is now a professor in the United States declared that the “failure to win a medal at the regular 2024 Paris Olympics, the few medals at the Paris Paralympic and the fallout at the National Youth Sports Festival has exposed the deep problems facing the sport’s sector.”
He wants Nigeria to have the same approach that the Egyptian president has taken while reacting to the country’s performance at the Paris 2024 Olypics.
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi ordered a comprehensive evaluation of sports federations that participated at the Paris Olympic Games, following a mission report submitted by the country’s sports minister.
According to Prof. Abdulahi, the National Sports Federations charged with the preparation of elite athletes have failed to do their job despite the cry for funding from the government.
“Federal Government cannot adequately fund all the Olympics sports. It is impossible.
“By declaring a state of emergency, new people, new approaches and new funding models will be identified. More importantly, the Federal Government will redefine grassroots sports development.
“We will lay sustainable foundation for sports development.”
Continuing, he called for the return of the National Sports Commission (NSC) which enabling decree was abolished through Decree No. 7 of 1991, but came back through presidential proclamation under Sani Abacha before it was abolished again.
The original NSC was established in 1964 as National Sports Council before the promulgation of Decree 34 of 1971 which legalised it as the apex Federal Government agency to control, regulate and organize sports.
“The FG may now bring back the National Sports Commission or the National Sports Authority. Our emerging national economy with the full participation of the private sector can support this new beginning. I hope this helps.”
RELATED STORY: President Al-Sisi orders sports system overhaul
Governing Bodies
CAF gives Yoruba and Arabic interpretations of ‘OLA’ the Super Cup 2024 Official Match Ball
The Confédération African of Football, CAF, has given the linguistics interpretation of OLA, the confederation’s official match balls produced by Puma which has also unveiled a special edition for the Super Cup duel holding on Friday in Saudi Arabia.
According to CAF, OLA, symbolizing the dynamic and energetic nature of African football, means “wealth,” “honour,” and “respect” in Yoruba and “rise” and “success” in Arabic.
The OLA ball stands out with its vibrant design and cultural significance. “OLA”
The ball is a mix of black and gold, representing power and sophistication. The ball will be the centrepiece of the eagerly-awaited match between the two giants of African football.
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