Governing Bodies
Nigeria’s Madu Ndidi makes the cut among 10 Women’s Champions League referees
A Nigerian, Madu Ndidi is among the 10 referees named by CAF for the second edition of the CAF Women’s Champions League holding in Morocco in about two weeks time.
That is the high point of the 29 match officials including assistant referees and those to be in VAR control rooms.
In all, the match officials are drawn from 23 countries of which Nigeria has only one.
A breakdown shows that Morocco will produce four match officials. This is followed by Egypt which has three match officials,
The tournament scheduled from 30 October to 13 November in the cities of Rabat and Marrakech, will see the technical contribution of 10 referees, 12 assistant referees and seven video referees.
The selected referees are from 23 nationalities – giving a good spread across the continent.
CAF Head of Refereeing and Football Technology, Désiré Noumandiez Doué said: “Relying on the quality and experience of the referees is essential to ensure a successful competition, especially after the resounding success and excitement during WAFCON 2022. Before each of our major tournaments, potential referees are regularly monitored physically, technically and medically, both at the country and zone level. This allows us to keep a constant eye on health, fitness, performance and to ensure that each candidate arrives ready to compete.”
He added “In the last 12 months, we have held several workshops, training camps and other interventions focusing specifically on the advancement of women referees in Africa. This has resulted in 230 international women officials evaluated and the best make up the gist of the Women’s Champions League. We are particularly proud of the women referees from Africa who are doing amazing work at FIFA level – from the FIFA Women’s U17 and the group that is preparing for the FIFA World Cup.”
Under the guidance of experienced experts and quality assessors, the selected referees will be training in Morocco from 25 to 29 October.
On the opening day of the 2022 CAF Women’s Champions League, two matches will take place at the Prince Héritier Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat.
Green Buffaloes FC of Zambia will play Determine Girls FC of Liberia at 17h00 local time (16h00 GMT) following by hosts ASFAR of Morocco against Simba Queens SC of Tanzania at 20:00 local time (19:00 GMT).
The final of the tournament will take place at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat and reveal the successor of South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns
Below is the full list of referees:
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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A former member of the FIFA Council, Mamoutou Toure, has been released from jail in Mali after almost two years in detention for alleged corruption, Malian media reports said on Wednesday.
Toure, president of the Malian Football Federation since 2019, was released after 622 days in prison on Tuesday.
He served on the FIFA Council, world football’s all-powerful decision-making body, for four years until last month when he lost his seat after failing to contest new elections.
The 67-year-old was arrested in August 2023 on allegations of embezzling $28 million of public funds but was granted a provisional release order by the Malian courts, reports said.
He was accused of misconduct during his time as the National Assembly’s financial and administrative director from 2013-2019.
Toure denied all charges and, during his time in jail, was last August re-elected as Malian Football Federation president for a second consecutive term, with his supporters claiming he was a victim of a conspiracy fuelled by detractors.
While in jail, he received a letter of support from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. However, as of last month, Toure is no longer a member of the FIFA Council or the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee.
-Reuters
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