Governing Bodies
‘I battled in hopeless situation to uphold Indonesia hosting rights’, laments FA boss, Thohir
According to reports in Antara, one of the newspapers in Indonesia, the chairperson of the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) Erick Thohir said on Wednesday that he worked very hard to retain Indonesia’s U-20 World Cup hosting rights during his meeting with FIFA president Gianni Infantino in Doha, Qatar.
Speaking further, he lamented that “Indonesia is a FIFA member so it has to abide by the rules.
“I have worked really hard. After delivering a letter from President Joko Widodo and having long talks with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, we must accept FIFA’s decision to cancel the event that we have been looking forward to,” he said in a statement posted on PSSI’s website.
“We must be strong. I ask all football lovers to keep their heads held high over this tough decision. It’s time we prove to FIFA to work harder to transform football toward clean and high-achieving football,” he added.
The decision to remove Indonesia as the host was taken after PSSI said on March 26, 2023, that it had cancelled the drawing event that was scheduled to take place in Bali on March 31 because of the Bali Governor’s refusal to welcome Israel’s national team.
“FIFA has decided, due to the current circumstances, to remove Indonesia as the host of the FIFA U-20 World Cup2023,” FIFA said in a statement.
“A new host will be announced as soon as possible, with the dates of the tournament currently remaining unchanged. Potential sanctions against the PSSI may also be decided at a later stage,” it added.
FIFA did not provide further details regarding the reasons for stripping Indonesia of the hosting rights. However, the pushback against the Israeli team’s participation in the tournament is believed to have played a part in FIFA’s decision.
However, FIFA said it is committed to assisting the PSSI in the transformation of Indonesian football following the deadly stampede last year that claimed 135 lives.
“Members of the FIFA team will continue to be present in Indonesia in the coming months and will provide the required assistance to the PSSI, under the leadership of President Thohir,” FIFA said in the statement.
“A new meeting between the FIFA president and the PSSI president for further discussions will be scheduled shortly,” it added.
Indonesia was named as the host of the U-20 World Cup in 2019 by FIFA after beating out two rivals: Brazil and Peru.
Indonesia had prepared six stadiums for the U-20 World Cup: Gelora Bung Karno (Jakarta), Gelora Bung Tomo (Surabaya), Si Jalak Harupat (Bandung), Manahan Stadium (Solo), I Wayan Dipta (Bali), and Gelora Sriwijaya Jakabaring (Palembang).
FIFA has started disciplinary proceedings against the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF) over Islamophobic and xenophobic chants during a friendly between Spain and Egypt on March 31, the global soccer body said on Tuesday.
At the RCDE Stadium near Barcelona, the home ground of LaLiga club Espanyol, Spanish supporters chanted “who doesn’t jump is a Muslim” during the World Cup warm-up match, which ended in a goalless draw.
“FIFA has opened disciplinary proceedings today against the Spanish FA for the incidents in the friendly against Egypt,” FIFA said in a statement.
Spanish police launched an investigation into the chants last week.
Spain winger Lamine Yamal condemned the chants as disrespectful and intolerable in an Instagram post.
The Egyptian Football Association also condemned the chants as an entirely unacceptable “repugnant act of racism,” and added that the acts of a small group of spectators would not affect the close relations between the Spanish and Egyptian federations.
-Reuters
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The newly appointed Acting General Secretary of the Confederation of African Football, Samson Adamu, has declared his ambition to leave a lasting legacy as he assumes one of the most influential administrative roles in African football.
Adamu was named to the position on Sunday, March 29, 2026, during a CAF Executive Committee meeting held at the Giza Palace Hotel in Cairo. His appointment, proposed by CAF President Patrice Motsepe, received unanimous ratification from the committee.
Speaking shortly after his elevation, Adamu expressed both gratitude and determination. “I am elated by this appointment. I am determined to serve African football with humility, integrity, and professionalism,” he said.
His emergence is historic, as he becomes the first Nigerian—and indeed the first West African—to occupy the position in the 69-year history of CAF, a development widely seen as a significant milestone for the region’s growing influence within continental football governance.
Adamu’s journey to the summit of African football administration reflects a career shaped by innovation, passion, and administrative excellence. Fifteen years ago, he initiated the globally acclaimed COPA Lagos Beach Soccer tournament in Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos. The event attracted top teams from around the world and set new benchmarks in organisation, marketing, officiating, and fan engagement.
The success of COPA Lagos played a pivotal role in Nigeria earning the hosting rights for the 2016 CAF Beach Soccer Cup of Nations, further cementing Adamu’s reputation as a forward-thinking sports administrator.
He later joined CAF in Cairo, rising through the ranks from Director of Competitions to Director of Tournaments and Events, positions in which he oversaw the planning and execution of several major continental championships.
Adamu also carries a rich administrative lineage. He is the son of Amos Adamu, a towering figure in Nigerian and international sports administration. Dr Adamu served as sole administrator of the then Nigeria Football Association in the early 1990s and later as Director of Sports Development in the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports.
He was also a central figure in Nigeria’s hosting of the 8th All-Africa Games in 2003, after securing a seat on the CAF Executive Committee in 2002 in Bamako, Mali, and earning re-election during the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia. His influence extended globally when he was elected into the FIFA Executive Committee in 2006, alongside serving as Director General of the National Sports Commission.
With such a formidable background and personal track record, expectations are high that Samson Adamu will bring fresh ideas, administrative stability, and a renewed sense of purpose to CAF’s operations at a time when African football is seeking greater credibility, growth, and global competitiveness.
His tenure, though currently in an acting capacity, is already being closely watched as a potential turning point in the evolution of football governance on the continent.
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Canadian soccer took centre stage in a FIFA experiment on Saturday as the country’s top-flight league began testing a “daylight” offside rule aimed at speeding up play and encouraging attacking football.
The rule was introduced at the opening match of the Canadian Premier League season as part of efforts by global soccer authorities to cut delays caused by video reviews, reduce controversy over marginal offside decisions and shift the balance of the game in favour of attackers.
“I see this as an opportunity to grow as a coach. It’s going to give me more tools for the future,” Atletico Ottawa head coach Diego Mejia told reporters.
Under the rule, an attacker is deemed onside if any part of the body that can legally score is level with, or further away from, the goal line than the second-to-last defender. An offside offence is only given if there is visible space — the so‑called “daylight” — between the attacker and the defender.
The concept has been championed for years by former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, now FIFA’s chief of global football development, as a way to ease frustration over marginal decisions and limit delays that have fueled debate long after matches have finished.
Wenger called the Canadian experience “an important pilot.”
Players from reigning champions Atletico Ottawa and Forge FC were involved in the first application of the new rule on Saturday, including a video review triggered after a penalty award was challenged by the defending side.
Under the revised Canadian system, head coaches are allowed two challenges per match for game‑changing decisions, with the referee reviewing each appeal using video assistance.
The initial review took more than five minutes but was not centred on an offside decision, as officials assessed two possible offsides, a potential foul in the buildup and a collision between the goalkeeper and the striker that led to the penalty.
The challenge was unsuccessful.
A later offside decision using the daylight rule did not interrupt the flow of the match.
Video assistance itself is also new to the Canadian league and was used for the first time on Saturday. Some commentators said officials would need time to adapt to both the revised offside interpretation and the new technology. The system in use is not full VAR, but FIFA’s lighter Football Video Support (FVS) model.
The Canadian league’s willingness to adopt the rule has given FIFA a professional testing ground, something European leagues have so far resisted.
Critics argue the change could push defenders, particularly centre-backs, to adopt more cautious positioning.
Others say it could open space in midfield, with defenders likely to hold deeper lines.
-Reuters
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