International Football
ANOTHER RUMBLE IN WORLD FOOTBALL AS ARGENTINE FA BOSS IS KICKED OUT OF FIFA COUNCIL
Argentine Football Association President, Claudio Tapia has been removed by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) as its official representative on the FIFA Council.
This is as a result of his criticism of the continental governing body in an open letter published during this year’s Copa América.
The letter was published on July 3, the day after Argentina had lost 2-0 to host nation and eventual champions Brazil in the semi-finals in Belo Horizonte.
Tapi, who became an interim replacement on the 37-member FIFA Council in October 2018 after Uruguayan Wilmar Valdez was removed amid ongoing bribery allegations, claimed Argentina was “clearly harmed” by the Copa América’s refereeing and the poor quality of the pitches.
“Given the seriousness of the comments publicly used by Mr Tapia, considering the importance of his position, CONMEBOL has decided to withdraw with immediate effect its confidence in Claudio Tapia, thereby temporarily reducing CONMEBOL’s representation to FIFA,” the body said in a statement.
CONMEBOL also announced there will be an election to fill Tapia’s position, but did not set a date.
In the letter, Tapia also complained about Ecuadorian referee Roddy Zambrano for not checking the video assistant referee (VAR) in important moments of the match between Argentina and Brazil.
Argentina had two penalty claims turned down in the defeat, with Tapia alleging that Zambrano “unjustifiably omitted the use of VAR in at least two specific moves that clearly influenced the final result of the match”.
He also questioned whether “the principles of ethics, loyalty and transparency” had been observed.
Tapia blamed CONMEBOL’s refereeing director Wilson Seneme of Brazil for controversies on the pitch, complaining of “serious and gross refereeing mistakes”.
In another Argentina-related decision, captain Lionel Messi has been banned by CONMEBOL for one game and fined $1,500 (£1,200/€1,300) after being sent off against Chile in the Copa América third-place playoff and accusing the tournament’s officials of corruption.
Messi, the Barcelona icon who is widely considered as the world’s best player, clashed with Chile’s Gary Medel in an off-the-ball incident where both men bumped chests.
Paraguayan referee Mauro Diaz de Vivar waved two red cards after the 37th minute flash-point and Messi later made the accusations of corruption while failing to collect his bronze medal.
He said he was sent off because he criticised the officials after Argentina’s loss against Brazil and claimed that the referee “overreacted” at the Arena Corinthians and that a yellow card for both players would have been fair.
Messi’s ban is expected to be served in Argentina’s first qualifier for the 2022 World Cup.
-insidethegames
Representatives from four national players’ unions on Thursday launched a new global organisation in Madrid, which they say will strengthen footballers’ rights and improve dialogue with governing bodies.
Opening a new front in the battle over who speaks for players, the International Footballers’ Association (AIF) was unveiled, with David Aganzo, president of Spain’s Association of Footballers (AFE) and a former head of the global union FIFPRO, appointed to lead the organisation.
Players’ unions from Brazil, Mexico and Switzerland were also represented.
The initiative drew a swift rebuke from FIFPRO, which said in a statement that Aganzo was acting out of self-interest and aligning himself with organisations linked to football governing bodies, as well as groups expelled from FIFPRO over alleged mismanagement.
Aganzo rejected the criticism, saying he “will not seek confrontation with FIFPRO”.
The launch comes amid strained relations between players’ unions and football authorities, particularly over the expanding international match calendar.
Relations between FIFA and FIFPRO deteriorated in 2024 after the union lodged a complaint with the European Commission, arguing that the global governing body was abusing its dominant position by adding competitions without sufficient consultation.
Aganzo denied suggestions that the new initiative was backed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, but said “direct dialogue with FIFA” was essential.
AFE’s Extraordinary General Assembly approved the initiative in February with 99.8% of votes cast in favour of spearheading the creation of the AIF.
The same assembly also backed AFE’s withdrawal from FIFPRO, citing what it described as a “complete lack of transparency, as well as its total lack of dialogue with international bodies.”
“We represent over 30,000 footballers, and we come here with a new model aimed at safeguarding players’ rights and facilitating direct communication with all international bodies,” Aganzo told reporters.
“We are in contact with 15 to 20 unions already who were very aware of this moment and waiting for this announcement to make their move and join our initiative.”
He declined to identify any unions beyond those present.
Asked about a report that a senior envoy to U.S. President Donald Trump had urged FIFA to replace Iran with Italy at the upcoming World Cup, Aganzo urged caution.
“These are more political issues; on April 30th, I’ll be speaking to Gianni (Infantino) at the FIFA Congress, and we will discuss those things,” Aganzo said.
“People who want to go to the World Cup have to earn their place on sporting merit.”
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
A new trial over the death of Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona will begin on Tuesday, with seven members of his medical team charged with negligent homicide nearly a year after a previous case collapsed in a mistrial.
An enduring presence in Argentina – from towering murals to tattoos, opens new tab – Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at 60, after a heart attack while he was recuperating from brain surgery to remove a blood clot.
A court in San Isidro, near Buenos Aires, will hear testimony from just under 100 witnesses as it tries Maradona’s medical team over alleged negligence in the death of the 1986 World Cup champion.
His medical team has denied wrongdoing. The defendants are psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychologist Carlos Angel Diaz, physician Nancy Edith Forlini, nurse Ricardo Almiron, head nurse Mariano Ariel Perroni, and physician Pedro Pablo Di Spagna. An eighth defendant, nurse Dahiana Madrid, will be tried in a separate jury trial, with no date yet set.
Two months into the first trial, which started last March, a mistrial was declared when one of three judges, Julieta Makintach, resigned after video surfaced showing her being interviewed by a camera crew in the corridors of the courthouse and in her office as part of a documentary, in breach of judicial rules.
The retrial will require both prosecutors and defense lawyers to reassess their strategies after the first trial aired photographs, videos, audio recordings and forensic evidence. Many witnesses, including Maradona’s children and his former wife, Claudia Villafane, have already testified.
Prosecutors argued in the initial trial that medical professionals broke treatment protocols and that the home where Maradona was recovering from surgery amounted to a “theatre of horror,” where necessary care was not provided.
The defense countered that his death was inevitable given his longstanding health problems. Maradona struggled for decades with cocaine and alcohol addiction.
The negligence charges emerged in 2021 after prosecutors appointed a medical board to investigate Maradona’s death. The panel concluded his medical team acted in an “inappropriate, deficient and reckless” manner.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Aliou Cisse has been named coach of the Angola national team, the country’s football federation (FAF) announced on Thursday, 24 hours after the Senegalese left his post in Libya.
The 50-year-old coach, who led Senegal to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022, ended his short stint with the Libyan national team on Wednesday, after taking charge in March 2025.
“Welcome, Aliou Cisse, head coach of the Angola national team,” the FAF said on Facebook. Angola, which failed to reach this year’s World Cup, will start their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign in September.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Host CAF General Assembly For Third Time, CAF Awards For Seventh
Atlas Lions Embrace AI As Google Gemini Becomes Official Partner
NPFL at 36: Why Nigeria’s League Top Scorers Rarely Become Super Eagles Legends
Breaking! Uzoho suspended from Super Eagles’ next match with Sierra Leone
No longer Super League as CAF changes name of its new clubs competition
NIGERIAN FOOTBALL CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SANUSI CHARGES NIGERIAN COACHES TO BE UPRIGHT, DILIGENT
- World Cup4 days ago
FIFA Plans Three Opening Ceremonies in All Host Nations for 2026 World Cup
- World Cup3 days ago
United States Unveils Hollywood-Style FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony
- World Cup4 days ago
Mexico president wavers on plan to cut school year by 40 days for the World Cup
- World Cup5 days ago
Burna Boy Joins Shakira for Official 2026 World Cup Song ‘Dai Dai’
- World Cup1 week ago
Despite 2026 Absence, Nigeria Still Leads Africa’s World Cup Winners’ Chart
- Premier League4 days ago
Man United’s Fernandes and City’s Shaw win FWA Footballer of the Year awards
- Nigerian Football4 days ago
Sporting Lagos Crowned 2026 NNL Champions After Dramatic Super Four Finale
- Premier League2 days ago
Arsenal survive huge scare to edge towards title