Governing Bodies
FIFA BOSS, INFANTINO SET TO GET ON IOC BOARD AS ATHLETICS CHIEFTAIN, SEBASTIAN COE IS BLOCKED
BY LIAM MORGAN
FIFA President Gianni Infantino is in line to join the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after he was proposed for membership by the Executive Board, but World Athletics counterpart Sebastian Coe will have to wait because of a conflict of interest.
Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) head Yasuhiro Yamashita and International Tennis Federation (ITF) President David Haggerty have also been put forward.
All three are set to be elected during the IOC Session in Lausanne in January.
The wait goes on for Coe, after IOC counterpart Thomas Bach said the Briton was unable to address a conflict of interest owing to his position as chairman of CSM Sport & Entertainment.
Coe’s role with the global sports agency – which works with several organisations in the Olympic Movement, including the IOC – has long been a sticking point to the World Athletics head becoming a member and was identified as a conflict of interest by the IOC Ethics Commission.
The Ethics Commission said his position at CSM Sport & Entertainment was not in compliance with the criteria for new members.
Bach said Coe had informed the IOC he was hopeful of addressing the issue in the next couple of months and the door remained open for the double Olympic gold medallist to become part of the IOC before the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
“We wanted him (Coe) to become an IOC member as President of one of our most important Olympic sports,” Bach said.
FIFA and World Athletics have not had a member since respective former Presidents Sepp Blatter and Lamine Diack left the IOC amid scandals which enveloped the organisations.
Infantino and Haggerty’s membership will be linked to their role as President of their respective International Federation.
Yamashita was elected JOC President in June to replace Tsunekazu Takeda, who resigned after he was implicated in an alleged bribery scandal connected to Tokyo’s successful bid for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The 62-year-old, winner of a gold medal in judo at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, also effectively takes Takeda’s place on the IOC – as expected – with his membership linked to his function as the head of a National Olympic Committee.
The IOC was believed to be waiting for Infantino, who became FIFA President in 2016, to be re-elected before proposing him as a member.
Infantino was given his first full four-year term at the helm of the global governing body in May.
The 49-year-old will be the third Swiss member of the IOC, joining Executive Board member Denis Oswald and International Ice Hockey Federation President René Fasel.
Haggerty was re-elected President of the ITF in September and joins IOC vice-president Anita DeFrantz and Athletes’ Commission member Kikkan Randall as the Americans who are part of the IOC.
“I am truly honoured to be nominated for IOC membership,” Haggerty said.
“This is an acknowledgement of the ITF Board, Committees and staff who work tirelessly to grow the game.”
The election of the three officials at the Session in Lausanne on January 10 will see the IOC electorate grow to 108 members.
–insidethegames
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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