Governing Bodies
IOC president, Bach, blasts! Intention for biennial World Cup “becoming clearer day by day”
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach insisted he will not “put fuel to the fire” by taking a side on the proposal which would see the FIFA World Cup played every two years – potentially clashing with the Olympic Games – but did claim the ramifications of such a move are “becoming clearer day by day”.
FIFA approved a feasibility study on hosting men’s and women’s World Cups every two years at its Congress in May, following a proposal from Saudi Arabia – a country FIFA President Gianni Infantino has close relationship with.
FIFA’s chief of global development Arsène Wenger is among those to have supported the idea and is leading a technical advisory group meeting in Qatar today and tomorrow, featuring current and former players from across the world.
Bach was asked after today’s remote IOC Executive Board meeting whether the IOC has been consulted on the matter and how a World Cup potentially taking place in the same year as the Olympic Games could impact both events, but remained coy.
“This is an issue to be decided by FIFA and the continental associations, we are following closely, monitoring these discussions, and find them very interesting,” Bach said.
The IOC President said he “will not interfere” in the debate.
“Let this discussion evolve, the consequences or potential consequences of such a move [are] becoming clearer day by day thanks to thanks to this discussion within FIFA and in particular there also through the contributions of the continental associations of FIFA,” added Bach.
One of those continental bodies, UEFA, has been vociferous in opposition to the proposal.
UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said he believes “the jewel of the World Cup has value precisely because of its rarity” in the European body’s latest criticism of staging World Cups every two years.
Yet there is support for the idea from Confederation of African Football President Patrice Motsepe, who claimed “African football could probably be the biggest beneficiary of a World Cup every two years”.
The FIFA member associations from Bangladesh, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka all came out in support of the idea earlier this month and the South American Football Confederation has expressed support for a biennial World Cup previously as well.
The World Leagues Forum – an association of club leagues including the English Premier League, German, French, Spanish and Italian top flights, Major League Soccer in North America, South Africa’s Premier Soccer League and the J.League from Japan among its 42 members – weighed in today, saying it “firmly opposes” the idea.
The World Leagues Forum “oppose any proposals to hold the football World Cup every two years and dilute the historical and traditional values of a competition that means so much to fans and players”, a statement added.
Proponents of World Cups every two years say this will generate more money and give players more opportunities to win a world title, while it has also been suggested that biennial tournaments could streamline the international calendar, with less time used for qualifying.
Critics, as well as claiming it would dilute the quality of the tournaments, have accused FIFA of chasing revenue and power, and fear that continental competitions would be squeezed out and undermined.
-insidethegames
The president of the Confédération of African Football, Dr. Patrice Motsepe, has announced five new CAF Vice Presidents. They are:
- CAF First Vice President: Mr Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco)
- CAF Second Vice President: Mr Kurt Okraku (Ghana)
- CAF Third Vice President: Mr Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
- CAF Fourth Vice President: Ms Bestine Kazadi Ditabala (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- CAF Fifth Vice President: Mr Feizal Sidat (Mozambique)
In addition, the CAF President has co-opted Yacine Idriss Diallo, President of Fédération Ivoirienne de football, into the CAF Executive Committee.
The CAF Executive Committee also approved the names to fill vacant positions on several CAF Committees.
Organising Committee for the African Nations Championship (CHAN)
- President: Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
CAF Technical and Development Committee
- President: Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
- Vice President: Malouche Belhassen (Tunisia)
CAF Medical Committee:
- President: Dr. Mohammed Bouya (Mauritania)
- Vice President: Dr. Thulani Ngwenya (South Africa)
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Governing Bodies
Nigeria becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council
Laurels on the courts and now glory in the boardroom sums up the mark that badminton is making in Nigeria.
The President, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, has been elected as a council member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The election took place during the BWF Annual General Meeting on Saturday in Xiamen, China.
Orbih emerged victorious over top contenders from other African countries.
He will join Cameroon’s Odette Assembe Engoulou on the council, while Chipo Zumburani (Zimbabwe) and Hadia ElSaid (Egypt) missed out.
An elated Orbih expressed his gratitude to fellow badminton presidents across the globe for their trust and support.
He said, “I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by my peers across the badminton world.
“I look forward to quality representation, driving development initiatives, and strengthening badminton’s global reach over the next four years.”
Orbih also acknowledged the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, particularly the National Sports Commission (NSC), which he said played a significant role in his successful bid.
“The Chairman and the Director General of the NSC monitored the entire process. I’m grateful for their involvement and confident Nigeria will benefit from this,” he stated.
He further appreciated the BFN board members and the Nigerian badminton community for their prayers and continued belief in his leadership.
“From the day I declared my intentions, the board members of BFN have been supportive, and I promise not to disappoint them,” Orbih concluded.
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A former member of the FIFA Council, Mamoutou Toure, has been released from jail in Mali after almost two years in detention for alleged corruption, Malian media reports said on Wednesday.
Toure, president of the Malian Football Federation since 2019, was released after 622 days in prison on Tuesday.
He served on the FIFA Council, world football’s all-powerful decision-making body, for four years until last month when he lost his seat after failing to contest new elections.
The 67-year-old was arrested in August 2023 on allegations of embezzling $28 million of public funds but was granted a provisional release order by the Malian courts, reports said.
He was accused of misconduct during his time as the National Assembly’s financial and administrative director from 2013-2019.
Toure denied all charges and, during his time in jail, was last August re-elected as Malian Football Federation president for a second consecutive term, with his supporters claiming he was a victim of a conspiracy fuelled by detractors.
While in jail, he received a letter of support from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. However, as of last month, Toure is no longer a member of the FIFA Council or the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee.
-Reuters
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