Governing Bodies
FIFA boss, Infantino meets Premier League players over calendar changes
FIFA president Gianni Infantino held talks with Premier League players, including Manchester United’s Paul Pogba, on Thursday over changes to the international match calendar and player workload.
Infantino and FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, met with members of the players union, the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) which represents players at all levels in the English game.
The meeting came after a number of players wrote a letter to Infantino asking to discuss their workload.
Among those present were French World Cup winner Pogba, Manchester United’s Spanish midfielder Juan Mata and England women’s internationals Lucy Bronze and Steph Houghton, who play for Manchester City.
“Players are crucial when it comes to the game, when speaking about the calendar, when we speak about the load, the number of days, the kind of competitions that we want to organise,” Infantino told a small group of reporters.
“Of course, we need to care about the players. We want to protect the players. And in order to know really what their concerns are, we need to talk to them directly,” he said.
FIFA is conducting a review of the international match calendar which determines the windows for national team games and tournament qualifiers.
The global governing body is also proposing switching to a biennial World Cup rather than the current format of holding the showpiece event every four years — a plan which has met with strong opposition in European football.
Infantino said that issue had come up in discussions but was not the main focus of the talks.
“It was less about the biennial World Cup and much more about the international match calendar, how to (fit) in international team games, how to make sure that the games that are played for the club and national team level are really meaningful and the players are put in the best conditions to play the best possible tournament,” he said.
“Of course, the biannual World Cup was mentioned as well. There are different views, but we didn’t seek any sort of opinion in terms of are you in favour, are you against. It’s more about the timings, the periods, the workload, how to play, when to play,” he said.
PFA chief executive Maheta Molango welcomed the talks.
“I know the players really valued what was a constructive, open and positive discussion, and we thank (FIFA) for that,” he said.
“If those who play the game are to have meaningful input into decisions about its future, then this kind of dialogue is absolutely critical.”
-Reuters
FIFA has sanctioned two lower division clubs in Kenya and Vietnam for match manipulation, relegating them to the third tier, world soccer’s governing body said on Friday.
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee found Kenyan side Muhoroni Youth guilty of “activities related to the manipulation of football matches and competitions”, expelling the club from the second-tier National Super League.
“The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has further ordered the relegation of the Muhoroni Youth senior team to the Football Kenya Federation Division One League (third tier) ahead of next season,” FIFA said.
Vietnamese club Phu Tho was also found guilty of match manipulation. The club’s senior team was expelled from the Vietnamese Football League Second Division and relegated to the third division.
FIFA said the clubs had been notified and can appeal the decision.
-Reuters
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The president of the Confédération of African Football, Dr. Patrice Motsepe, has announced five new CAF Vice Presidents. They are:
- CAF First Vice President: Mr Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco)
- CAF Second Vice President: Mr Kurt Okraku (Ghana)
- CAF Third Vice President: Mr Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
- CAF Fourth Vice President: Ms Bestine Kazadi Ditabala (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- CAF Fifth Vice President: Mr Feizal Sidat (Mozambique)
In addition, the CAF President has co-opted Yacine Idriss Diallo, President of Fédération Ivoirienne de football, into the CAF Executive Committee.
The CAF Executive Committee also approved the names to fill vacant positions on several CAF Committees.
Organising Committee for the African Nations Championship (CHAN)
- President: Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
CAF Technical and Development Committee
- President: Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
- Vice President: Malouche Belhassen (Tunisia)
CAF Medical Committee:
- President: Dr. Mohammed Bouya (Mauritania)
- Vice President: Dr. Thulani Ngwenya (South Africa)
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Governing Bodies
Nigeria becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council
Laurels on the courts and now glory in the boardroom sums up the mark that badminton is making in Nigeria.
The President, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, has been elected as a council member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The election took place during the BWF Annual General Meeting on Saturday in Xiamen, China.
Orbih emerged victorious over top contenders from other African countries.
He will join Cameroon’s Odette Assembe Engoulou on the council, while Chipo Zumburani (Zimbabwe) and Hadia ElSaid (Egypt) missed out.
An elated Orbih expressed his gratitude to fellow badminton presidents across the globe for their trust and support.
He said, “I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by my peers across the badminton world.
“I look forward to quality representation, driving development initiatives, and strengthening badminton’s global reach over the next four years.”
Orbih also acknowledged the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, particularly the National Sports Commission (NSC), which he said played a significant role in his successful bid.
“The Chairman and the Director General of the NSC monitored the entire process. I’m grateful for their involvement and confident Nigeria will benefit from this,” he stated.
He further appreciated the BFN board members and the Nigerian badminton community for their prayers and continued belief in his leadership.
“From the day I declared my intentions, the board members of BFN have been supportive, and I promise not to disappoint them,” Orbih concluded.
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