Governing Bodies
Rwanda to host elective FIFA Congress
The 73rd edition of the FIFA Congress, where a Presidential election is due to take place, has been scheduled for Kigali in Rwanda on March 16 next year.
An election timeline was approved by the FIFA Council at its meeting in March in Doha, where current President Gianni Infantino announced he would stand for re-election.
Infantino, who is an International Olympic Committee member, was first elected as FIFA President in February 2016 in the wake of the corruption scandal which brought down predecessor Sepp Blatter.
The Swiss-Italian then won a second term when he stood unopposed for re-election at the Congress in Paris in 2019.
Infantino has enjoyed particularly strong support from Africa during his Presidency,
This has included the Confederation of African Football (CAF) supporting the idea of a biennial World Cup – something Infantino has now moved to distance himself from – and the CAF publicly backing Infantino when he faced backlash over comment he made suggesting the proposal could help prevent African migrants from finding “death in the sea”.
South African Patrice Motsepe was elected unopposed as the new CAF President at a General Assembly in Rabat last year.
Motsepe’s election followed Presidential candidates Ahmed Yahya from Mauritania, Ivorian Jacques Anouma and Senegal’s Augustin Senghor dropping out of the race – each after meeting with Infantino.
Infantino denied influencing the election, but also claimed to be “delighted that FIFA has been able to contribute, even if just a little, to this crucial moment for football on this great continent” when it was confirmed that Motsepe would be able to run for the Presidency unopposed.
Infantino currently has no challengers for the Presidency, although his ties with Russia and Saudi Arabia have caused concern in some quarters over whether he is fit to serve as President.
The deadline for candidacies is four months prior to the Congress.
Kigali has already hosted a FIFA Council meeting in October 2018, but its selection as the destination for the Congress will not be without controversy.
Same-sex marriages are not recognised by the state in Rwanda, and activists say that while homosexuality is not outlawed, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community regularly face persecution.
FIFA has celebrated Pride Month but is preparing for the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal, and claims the tournament “will be a celebration of unity and diversity.”
Qatar also hosted this year’s FIFA Congress.
The treatment of Paul Rusesabagina will also give rise to criticism over the choice of Kigali as Congress host.
The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention states Rusesabagina has been illegally kidnapped, tortured, and sentenced after an unfair trial.
In August 2020, he took what he believed to be a flight to Burundi from Dubai but arrived in the Rwandan capital and was arrested on nine charges of terrorism that related to his association with the National Liberation Front political party.
“It is clear on the facts that Mr Rusesabagina has been targeted by the Government on account of his work as a human rights defender, because of his criticism of the Government on a broad range of human rights issues, including unfair elections and a lack of democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of association and freedom of the press,” stated the Working Group.
“He has also challenged cases of arbitrary detention, torture and extrajudicial killings”
Rusesabagina worked as the manager of the Hôtel des Mille Collines in Kigali, during a period in which it housed 1,268 Hutu and Tutsi refugees from the Interahamwe militia during the Rwandan genocide.
His actions, which are credited with saving the lives of hundreds of refugees, were made famous by the film Hotel Rwanda.
The 68-year-old was sentenced to 25 years in prison last year.
-insidethegames
The Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”) will hold its Executive Committee (“EXCO”) meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Monday, 21 October 2024.
The Executive Committee meeting, to be chaired by CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe, will start at 10h30 local time (07h30 GMT).
The meeting will be held ahead of the 46th Ordinary General Assembly which will also take place in the Ethiopian capital on Tuesday, 22 October 2024 at 10h00 local time (07h00 GMT).
Wahid Oshodi, the newly elected President of the African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF) has made an immediate call to the private sector to boost table tennis on the continent.
His approach focuses on not relying solely on public funds but on seeking corporate investment to elevate the sport.
He has launched an ambitious strategy to strengthen the development of table tennis in Africa.
His first step has been to solicit the backing of the private sector, which he sees as crucial to taking the sport to the next level.
In his inaugural address, Oshodi emphasised that relying exclusively on government funding and the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) “will not be enough to boost the sport across the continent.”
“It’s time to involve private and corporate organisations to help table tennis flourish in Africa.
“We cannot continue depending solely on government funding. We aim to raise the standards and produce more African superstars who can shine globally,” stated the new ATTF president, seeking a significant financial injection to tackle the challenges and ambitions set out for his tenure.
His election, held on 15 October in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was unanimous. Indeed, a clear acknowledgement of his international reputation and dedication to table tennis.
Oshodi, who was previously elected Vice President of the ATTF in 2019 and Executive Vice President of the ITTF in 2021, has more than proven his ability to lead the sport’s development both in his home country and across the continent.
The Lagos-born leader is not only focused on funding but also on fostering unity among ATTF member associations. He believes that a united continent will be stronger and better positioned to succeed on the global stage. “Unity is key. Together, we can achieve more for table tennis in Africa,” he added.
Governing Bodies
Sanusi set for record-extending tenure as Nigeria’s football politicians assemble in Asaba
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Speculations gathered ahead of the 2024 Annual General Meeting of the Nigeria Football Federation holding in Asaba on Friday have it that tenure elongation for the General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, is a major item on the agenda.
Neither formal confirmation nor denial has been issued since one of the leading newspapers in Nigeria, ThisDay dropped the hint.
The agenda of the meeting is also not made public. Dr, Sanusi is the longest-serving General Secretary in history having been in office from 30 March 2015 making 3,476 days or nine years six months and four days.
It easily drowned that of his closest rival in tenure – Sani Toro whose tenure from 21 December 1993 to 3 May 1999 is merely 2020 days or five years, six months and 12 days.
Thus, no one had enjoyed a longer period in office than the incumbent, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi. It is speculated that the tenure will be extended as NFF has reported that all delegates have arrived in the Delta State capital by Thursday evening.
The NFF Annual General Assembly, the first of which took place 90 years ago in Lagos on 19 February 1934, is the biggest assemblage of football administrators and stakeholders in the country.
In one such meeting on 24 July 2008 in Makurdi, the football body changed its name from NFA to NFF.
This year, according to a press release by the NFF, the plenary will have in attendance, the chairmen and secretaries of football associations in the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory, chairmen and secretaries of the Nigeria Premier Football League, Nigeria National League, Nigeria Women Football League and the Nationwide League One, as well as chairmen and secretaries of the referees’ association, players’ union and coaches’ association. This group of 88 makes up the Congress.
They are joined by the members of the NFF Executive Committee and the management team as well as former NFF Presidents and General Secretaries.
The Minister of Sports Development, John Owan Enoh, is announced as the special guest. Nigeria’s Member of the FIFA Council, Amaju Melvin Pinnick is also expected as well as a representative of the West African Football Union (WAFU B).
The Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Francis Oborevwori will declare the General Assembly open.
Venue is the Unity Hall of the Delta State Government House.
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