Governing Bodies
Premier League title race set to continue despite COVID chaos
Unless the Premier League fixture list is further decimated by the COVID-19 surge that has ripped the pre-Christmas schedule to shreds the three-way title race will continue on Sunday with Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea all in action.
City, who lead the table by a point, travel to relegation strugglers Newcastle United, while second-placed Liverpool visit Tottenham Hotspur, who have had their last two league games postponed because of infections.
Third-placed Chelsea, who were deprived of three players because of COVID-19 in their 1-1 home draw with Everton on Thursday, are first up at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Whether all or any of the games go ahead as planned, however, is a matter of some doubt.
The league has ruled out a ‘pause’ to the season to allow clubs to recover their squads, although the surging Omicron variant has put paid to half of the weekend’s fixtures including Manchester United’s home game with Brighton & Hove Albion.
Aston Villa, who have also reported infections, are still scheduled to host Burnley on Saturday with Leeds United also in action against fourth-placed Arsenal in the late kickoff.
Despite the distractions and uncertainty, the title rivals will be keenly aware that the season is reaching a crucial phase and any slip-ups now could prove extremely costly.
Not that champions City look remotely flustered, having put seven goals past Leeds United on Tuesday.
CURRENT STRAINS
If any squad can cope with the current strains it is Pep Guardiola’s at City. With quality options in reserve, they are beginning to accelerate at just the right time having won their last seven league matches.
Six players were on target in the 7-0 win against Leeds, with Kevin de Bruyne striking twice, and Newcastle’s creaky defence will not be relishing City’s visit on Sunday.
Liverpool kept up the pressure at the top as they came from a goal down to beat Newcastle 3-1 on Thursday, despite having Virgil Van Dijk, Fabinho and Curtis Jones missing because of positive COVID tests on the day of the game.
Juergen Klopp said he “hoped” the Tottenham game would go ahead but did not sound too optimistic.
“It’s a really tricky situation. Nobody knows exactly how we’ll be tomorrow,” the German said on Thursday.
“I’ve never had three players on matchday pull out. The most important thing is because the boys are vaccinated they will not feel it really. That’s good. We have to wait for them.
“Should we stop the league? I have no real answer for it. If you stop it for two weeks and we come back, I really don’t know what to do. There are plenty of questions we need to find answers for but I don’t have the solution.”
Chelsea’s surprise home draw with Everton left them four points behind City and Thomas Tuchel’s side face a tough task at Wolves, who sit eighth after a midweek win at Brighton.
Asked if the title race should be put on hold while the protagonists deal with COVID infections, Tuchel said he did not want to get involved in sports politics.
“We are all worried about COVID, it is close to us, we had four positives. Other games get cancelled, ours didn’t. If they decide we have to play we play,” he told reporters.
-Reuters
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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