Governing Bodies
Chelsea fans face up to future without Abramovich
Chelsea fans arriving on Sunday for the Blues’ first home match under government control said they were worried that an era of glittering success might be over after owner Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich was hit with an asset freeze last week.
Chelsea are in a state of limbo after the British government sanctioned Abramovich and other Russian businessmen as it sought to increase the isolation of President Vladimir Putin for his decision to invade Ukraine.
“What a ride we had with Abramovich,” Claire Mitchell, a season ticket-holder since the 1970s, said as she headed for Stamford Bridge.
“I don’t think we’ll ever have a better owner because he genuinely loved Chelsea. My fear is we get an asset stripper, people who know nothing of football and that emotional commitment who brings us down.”
The government last week said Abramovich had close ties to Putin over decades. Abramovich has denied having such ties.
The reigning European and world champions are now operating under a special government licence which includes strict rules on operating expenses including how much the club can spend on travel for away fixtures and a ban on new ticket sales.
The team can continue playing games and pay players and staff but cannot buy or sell players, a major problem for the club as they seek to remain a major force in the game.
Dan Silver, a board member at the Chelsea Supporters Trust, which represents fans, said he hoped Abramovich would not fight the decision to freeze his ownership which could make it harder to find a buyer.
“Mr Abramovich has got two choices here – either he walks away from the club or he drags the club through the mud with protracted legal battles,” Silver said.
Many fans said they were conflicted about the situation.
“It’s very difficult because obviously you’re against the war in Ukraine,” said Peter Higgs, a Chelsea fan for 63 of his 68 years, standing outside the pub where the club was founded in 1905.
“But the amount of good Roman has done, not only for the club but also for the area,” (means) you have different feelings.”
ASSET FREEZE
He said the asset freeze decision raised difficult questions for the sport and he pointed to the Saudi Arabia-backed consortium of Newcastle United, Chelsea’s opponents on Sunday, which includes the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund.
The takeover last year led to protests from human rights groups.
Newcastle fan Dylan Richardson, 18, who set off from England’s north east before dawn to get to the Premier League game, said the excitement he felt when the deal was done had given way to mixed feelings about the ownership, and Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the war in Yemen.
“You cannot ignore the issues around Yemen. But for me it doesn’t change my opinion,” Richardson said. “I’m happy and excited about the prospect of where the club can go.”
Many Chelsea fans said the apparent end of the Abramovich era could halt the run of trophies that made the Blues the most successful team in England in the period since he bought the club in 2003.
“As a Chelsea supporter, you want the good times to keep rolling,” Higgs said. “If not you’re just like a Tottenham and Arsenal.”
-Reuters
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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