Governing Bodies
UK and Ireland abandon 2030 World Cup bid to focus on Euro 2028
Football chiefs from the UK and Ireland announced on Monday (Feb 7) they had decided not to bid to stage the 2030 World Cup and would instead focus on a joint campaign to host Euro 2028.
The football associations of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have concluded that the European Championship represents a better option than the World Cup after a feasibility study, which was backed by UK government money.
“The five associations have decided to focus solely on an official bid to host Euro 2028 and have agreed not to bid for the 2030 World Cup,” they said in a statement.
“Hosting a Euro offers a similar return on investment, with the European tournament carrying a far lower delivery cost and the potential of the benefits being realised sooner.”
English Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham said there was “uncertainty” over future World Cups, in light of world governing body FIFA’s proposal to stage the tournament every two years.
He said the decision to focus on Euro 2028 was not based on any communication from European governing body Uefa that it would support a joint Spain-Portugal bid for 2030 over the UK-Ireland option.
Bullingham believes the five-nation Euro bid would be viewed favourably, as Uefa seeks to rebuild its finances following the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We believe we can put together an incredibly strong tournament in many ways,” he said.
“And we also know we can deliver a really strong commercial return to Uefa and we feel that puts us in a strong position.”
A UK government statement said: “We remain passionate about bringing a World Cup to the UK and Ireland when the time is right.
“Meanwhile, the Uefa European Championships are one of the biggest global sporting events. Hosting the full tournament would be an exciting opportunity, bringing significant benefits to the whole of the UK and Ireland.” Russia and Turkey are also reportedly in the running for Euro 2028.
The World Cup bid was previously criticised as an “expensive vanity project” by Julian Knight, the lawmaker who chairs the UK parliament’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, after the failed solo attempts by England to stage the 2006 and 2018 World Cups.
He welcomed the switch in focus on Monday but added: “It’s unacceptable that £2.8 million (S$5.09 million) in taxpayer money was wasted on a pipe dream that was clearly doomed from the start.”
“Football in the UK needs to sort out its reputation at home before we can go after the biggest tournament.”
-AFP
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.
-Reuters
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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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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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