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’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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