Governing Bodies
Breaking! Nigerian Olympic official hospitalised after positive COVID-19 test in Tokyo
A Nigerian Olympic official has tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in Japan linked to the event since July 1 to 30.
TV Asahi reported the man in his 60s has been hospitalised owing to his age and pre-existing conditions.
He is the first foreign official to be hospitalised because of COVID-19 on arrival in Tokyo.
In its daily update, Tokyo 2020 confirmed there had been four more positive cases among people who touched down in the Olympic and Paralympic host country yesterday.
The three others are all contractors working on the Games, scheduled to open on July 23.
Tokyo today recorded 1,271 new COVID-19 cases, marking the 27th day in a row where the tally is higher than a week prior.
It is also the third straight day where the total number of infections has topped 1,000.
At least five athletes have tested positive for COVID-19 since arriving in the Japan for the Games, while the Refugee Olympic Team delayed its travel to Tokyo after one of its delegation also returned a positive test.
Teams from several other nations have been forced into isolation due to COVID-19 issues, raising concerns over the impact of the virus on athletes who are set to compete at the Games.
Australian Alex de Minaur today became the latest player to pull out of the tennis tournament at Tokyo 2020 after testing positive for COVID-19.
De Minaur, the world number 17, joins a list of absentees from the Olympic competition which also includes 20-time Grand Slam champions Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Austria’s Dominic Thiem, Canada’s Denis Shapovalov and Federer’s compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka.
The 22-year-old tested positive twice in Australia and has not travelled here.
The IOC and organisers have faced criticism for pressing ahead with organising the event during the pandemic, but have insisted the measures that will be implemented will ensure the Games are “safe and secure”.
The IOC has also cited its vaccination programme, where it has attempted to secure jabs for Olympic participants, as a reason for optimism.
It has claimed 85 per cent of residents in the Olympic Village have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Large sections of the Japanese public have signalled their opposition to the Olympics and Paralympics going ahead, with calls for cancellation a common theme in the run-up to the Opening Ceremony.
Health experts have warned the Games could become a “super-spreader” event, while Shigeru Omi, the Japanese Government’s top COVID-19 advisor, has warned staging the Olympics during a pandemic is “abnormal”.
-insidethegames
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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The supporters of Vancouver Whitecaps, a professional football (soccer) club in Canada, have staged a protest outside the FIFA Congress on Thursday, voicing fears that the Major League Soccer club could be relocated as uncertainty deepens over its ownership and long-term future.
The club is one of Canada’s most historic football institutions and has long been a central part of Vancouver’s sporting identity.
Around 100 fans gathered as delegates arrived for the annual FIFA meeting in Vancouver, chanting, singing and waving club flags in a show of solidarity. The demonstration comes just days after Vancouver Whitecaps FC revealed difficulties in securing a buyer willing to keep the club in the city.
The Whitecaps disclosed earlier this week that “stadium economics, venue access and revenue limitations” have complicated efforts to sell the club, despite a 16-month search for new ownership.
Season ticket holder Derek Hawksworth said supporters felt compelled to act amid growing fears of relocation.
“I wanted to come down given the threat of the team possibly moving,” he said. “It’s a rich history with the Whitecaps in North America… we want Vancouver to stay and not relocate. The history is here, and we want to continue with that history moving forward.”
The Vancouver Whitecaps are a professional football (soccer) club based in Vancouver, Canada. They currently compete in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top-tier league in the United States and Canada.
Concerns were heightened by reports that cities such as Las Vegas and Phoenix are leading contenders should the club relocate.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim has urged intervention, calling on the provincial government — which owns BC Place — to negotiate a “bridge deal” that would allow the team to remain while plans for a new stadium are explored. The club’s current lease at BC Place expires at the end of the year.
Despite the off-field uncertainty, the Whitecaps have been one of the standout teams this MLS season. They currently sit second in the Western Conference with 24 points from nine matches, just three points behind the San Jose Earthquakes.
For supporters, however, performances on the pitch offer little comfort as the future of their club hangs in the balance — a situation they hope global football leaders gathering in Vancouver will not ignore.
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