Governing Bodies
BREAKAWAY SUPER LEAGUE FLOORS FIFA, UEFA AT SPANISH COURT
The World and European soccer bodies, Fifa and Uefa, must not prevent12 of the continent’s leading clubs from creating a breakaway Super League, a Spanish commercial court said on Tuesday (April 20) in a preliminary ruling.
Fifa and Uefa made no immediate comment about the case, which is likely to mark the start of a prolonged legal fight over the proposed league, which threatens to upend the long-established order of elite soccer in Europe.
It was not immediately clear what authority the Madrid court, which adjudicates corporate disputes, had over the Swiss-based soccer bodies.
The court said in a ruling seen by Reuters that Fifa, Uefa and all its associated soccer federations must not adopt “any measure that prohibits, restricts, limits or conditions in any way” the creation of the Super League.
It also warned them not to sanction any players or managers taking part.
The Super League project is headed by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, and the company that has been set up to the run the competition is based in Madrid
The company applied to the Spanish court for an injunction to prevent soccer regulators from taking any action against its new league.
The judge slapped a preliminary block on Fifa and Uefa at least for the duration of the legal proceedings, which can take many months in Spain.
The court intervention came after both Fifa and Uefa warned they would impose sanctions on clubs and players competing in the new league, which has been set up as a rival to European soccer body Uefa’s established Champions League.
In a letter to Fifa president Gianni Infantino and Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin on Monday, seen by Reuters, the “European Super League Company SL” said it was taking legal steps to protect its new venture.
The letter said the Super League had placed motions in several un-named courts “to ensure the seamless establishment and operation of the competition in accordance with applicable laws”.
Three of the 12 breakaway clubs are based in Spain – Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. The other nine are based in England and Italy.
-Reuters
By Kunle Solaja.
Nigeria is set to host the 48th Ordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), marking the third time the country will stage the continent’s top football gathering.
The development was confirmed in a statement issued by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), which disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the sidelines of the ongoing Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, approved Nigeria’s proposal to host the event.
The approval followed a meeting between President Tinubu and CAF President Patrice Motsepe, attended by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau, former NFF President and Special Adviser to the CAF President Amaju Melvin Pinnick, as well as CAF Acting General Secretary Samson Adamu.
Sports Villages Square affirms that Nigeria previously hosted the CAF Congress at the National Theatre in Lagos in March 1980 and again in February 2009, when the late CAF President Issa Hayatou secured another four-year term in office.
In addition to this year’s 48th Ordinary General Assembly, scheduled for October, Nigeria also secured the hosting rights of the CAF Awards ceremony. The annual awards gala, which celebrates Africa’s top football performers, has been staged in Morocco over the past three years.
Nigeria had earlier hosted the CAF Awards when telecom firm, Globacom, was the headline sponsor. This year’s event will be the seventh to be held in Nigeria after those of 2005, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014 and 2016.
The CAF Ordinary General Assembly traditionally attracts key football stakeholders from across the continent, including presidents of CAF’s 54 member associations, representatives of the six zonal unions and senior football administrators.
The CAF Awards ceremony is regarded as one of African football’s flagship events, honouring outstanding players, coaches, clubs and officials in a glamorous setting that showcases the continent’s football excellence.
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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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