Governing Bodies
SPANISH LA LIGA TO TEST ALL PLAYERS FOR CORONAVIRUS
The president of the Spanish football federation (RFEF), Luis Rubiales, has attacked the league’s plan to carry out coronavirus tests at every first and second division club as “irresponsible” when there are others who need to be tested more urgently amid a health crisis.
He has also insisted that the Spanish domestic season must be completed, even if it means going beyond the proposed final date of June 30, and that playing games behind closed doors is a “last resort”.
There have been 11,178 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Spain and as of Tuesday, 491 people were known to have died of the disease.
Various teams have tested players for the virus, including Valencia, who said on Monday (March 16) that 35 per cent of their first-team squad and staff have tested positive for the coronavirus but were asymptomatic.
They include defenders Ezequiel Garay, José Luis Gayà and Eliaquim Mangala.
Espanyol have said six of their players have tested positive. “We had confirmation this afternoon that six members of the first team and the technical staff of RCD Espanyol de Barcelona have returned positive results for Covid-19 tests carried out during the last hours,” the club said in a statement on Tuesday.
“All of them are suffering from mild symptoms and they are complying with the medical recommendations.”
Every club is currently on lockdown with training suspended and players sent home.
Elche forward Jonathas is the one confirmed case among the second division clubs so far.
Some clubs have already carried out tests and La Liga had planned to extend that facility to every club in the top two tiers – 42 in total.
The league is keen to monitor the situation with the hope of restarting the competition by the first weekend of May, if not before. Officially, La Liga has postponed two weekends of games, starting last Friday.
“I think it is irresponsible when there are patients with much more at stake than a competition, with life itself (at stake),” Rubiales said. “It is not appropriate to be using tests (at clubs) when there are people who need tests. It fails to see reality.
“We are all confined to home; it doesn’t make any difference if you have been infected or not. It’s the same outcome (isolation). And if someone does have severe symptoms, that’s the person who needs the test. Not a footballer. He is going to be isolated (anyway).
“The authorities have said this – if anyone has a test, masks, gloves, hand them over. Hospitals are running out.
“There’s someone sending tests to (clubs) – that’s a lack of solidarity, it could even be illegal. He should be ashamed. We don’t want that, and it’s anti-patriotic.
“When all this is over, when fewer people need it, then maybe we will consider (testing) players at our clubs (from Segunda B level down) but for now, tests have to be for those that need it. We all have to lend a hand.”
Rubiales also said that he had put the federation’s facilities, including the residency at its Las Rozas HQ, at the disposal of the government. He rather pointedly called upon the league to do the same, saying that clubs have facilities and resources that could be useful.
He also criticised the league’s president Javier Tebas, with whom he is engaged in a bitter and ongoing battle, for claiming that the failure to finish the league season could cost €678 million (£1.06 billion).
Rubiales suggested it was negligent for La Liga not to be insured against such losses, and promised the country’s smaller clubs that depend on RFEF subsidies that they would receive every cent.
He also noted that the league was pushing to complete the season by June 30, come what may. “Some put money before health,” he said.
By contrast, the RFEF president said completing the season by that date was the aim, but that it was not “an insurmountable wall”.
“There is no date,” he said, describing the plan as one of “extending the season as long as is necessary”, and ruled out just deciding a title winner without the games being played.
Barcelona, the current league leaders, will not be handed the title, and nor should European positions be decided off the pitch.
“It would a tremendous injustice not to finish the season. We are not going to declare it void, we want to finish it,” he said.
Asked what Spain would do if Uefa demanded that there was a cut-off to determine next year’s European positions before the league had been completed, Rubiales said he would ask Uefa what criteria to apply.
He added that the Copa del Rey final between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad would be played, but he did not know when.
“We don’t even know when competition will restart,” Rubiales said. “We are in the hands of what the health authorities say. We can’t guess the future.”
–Guardian (UK), Reuters
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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