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Biennial World Cup would raise extra $4.4 billion says FIFA

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International football leaders were told by FIFA on Monday that a switch to a biennial World Cup would create an extra $4.4 billion in revenues for the world body.

FIFA is holding a ‘global summit’ of leaders of national football federations to discuss their proposal to increase the frequency of the World Cup from every four years to every two.

The financial data forms part of an overall feasibility study which FIFA is presenting on Monday. No vote is planned from the event which forms part of FIFA’s consultation process.

The upbeat reports are in marked contrast to analysis put forward by critics of the proposals.

There has been opposition from European clubs, the top leagues and European governing body UEFA whose president Aleksander Ceferin has threatened to boycott any additional tournament.

Last month, a report commissioned by the World Leagues Forum said the FIFA proposal, allied with changes to the Club World Cup could cost the big domestic soccer leagues and UEFA around 8 billion euros ($9 billion) per season in lost TV rights and match day and commercial agreements.

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UEFA, on Friday, published a report they had commissioned from consultancy firm Oliver & Ohlbaum which warned that said the changes to the international calendar would impact see revenues for European national federations drop between 2.5 and 3 billion euros ($3.38 billion) over a four year cycle.

The delegates to Monday’s summit were told that a report by Italian company Open Economics had found that domestic leagues and UEFA competitions do not have their revenues hurt by national team and international club competition.

The report, some of which has been seen by Reuters, said that revenue of national leagues had increased in years when a major international tournament was held.

Professor Pasquale Lucio Scandizzo, of OpenEconomics told the delegates that the plan “promises significant and positive net macroeconomic benefits, distributed over time and space”.

A report from Nielsen predicted that the plan would see revenues rise from an expected $7 billion – for a 48 tournament – to $11.4 billion over a four year cycle thanks to increased ticket receipts and media rights and sponsorship revenues.

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FIFA officials told the delegates that $3.5 billion of the extra revenue would go to a new ‘Member Association Solidarity Fund’ with each national federation allocated around $16 million in a four year period, while extra funds would also be given to the FIFA Forward Program for development projects.

FIFA said that the funds would help reduce the gap in revenues between the developed and less developed football markets.

Any vote on the plans would likely involve all the 211 national associations.

Along with UEFA, South American confederation CONMEBOL has opposed the proposal.

Earlier this month, Victor Montagliani, president of North and Central American and Caribbean confederation CONCACAF, told Reuters that a compromise solution could be for an additional tournament to be a revamped version of the old Confederations Cup rather than a full World Cup with a separate qualifying process.

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($1 = 0.8875 euros)

-Reuters

 

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Governing Bodies

FIFA punishes clubs in Kenya and Vietnam for match manipulation

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World Cup Was Expanded To Help Scotland Qualify, FIFA's Infantino Jokes -

FIFA has sanctioned two lower division clubs in Kenya and Vietnam for match manipulation, relegating them to the third tier, world soccer’s governing body said on Friday.

FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee found Kenyan side Muhoroni Youth guilty of “activities related to the manipulation of football matches and competitions”, expelling the club from the second-tier National Super League.

“The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has further ordered the relegation of the Muhoroni Youth senior team to the Football Kenya Federation Division One League (third tier) ahead of next season,” FIFA said.

Vietnamese club Phu Tho was also found guilty of match manipulation. The club’s senior team was expelled from the Vietnamese Football League Second Division and relegated to the third division.

FIFA said the clubs had been notified and can appeal the decision.

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-Reuters

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CAF President Dr Motsepe Announces Five Vice Presidents

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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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Nigeria  becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council

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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.

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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.

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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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