Governing Bodies
Presidents of IOC and FIFA hail Trump
As Donald Trump is set to be inaugurated as the United States President this Monday, leaders of sports bodies whose events are slated for the US in the next four years have heaped praises on the returning president.
United States will host an expanded FIFA Club World Cup this year and will be co-hosts of the World Cup in 2026 as well as the Olympic Games in 2028 in Los Angeles.
Ahead of Trump’s inauguration, the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach has hailed the American as a “sports fan at heart.”
This came out of a statement he made to the German Press Agency (DPA).
Bach declared that despite political tensions and the fires in California, the 2026 World Cup as well as the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games are assured.
The Olympic leader highlighted that Donald Trump “was involved in the bidding phase of both events, campaigning in one way or another in favour of the World Cup and the Los Angeles 2028 Games. That’s why I’m sure he will support them.”
Similarly, the FIFA President, Gianni Infantino has hailed Trump. Sports Village Square gathered from the FIFA President’s Instagram handle that Infantino visited Trump as president-elect at Mar-a-Lago in Florida ahead of his upcoming inauguration.
“We discussed this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup and the FIFA World Cup in 2026 – two truly global tournaments which the United States will play a key role in hosting.
“Thank you Mr President for your time and for supporting FIFA over the coming months. America welcomes the World and Football Unites The World”, Infantino wrote.
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The African Clubs Association formed in 2023 will have its headquarters in Morocco.
The kingdom beat other bids from Algeria and other African nations. Facilities in Morocco and the country’s organisational standards may have given Morocco the edge.
An official memorandum of understanding will be signed next week on Monday during the draw ceremony for the African Cup of Nations, which Morocco will host.
The establishment of the association’s headquarters in Morocco represents a pivotal moment for African football, aimed at fostering cooperation among clubs across the continent and advancing the sport’s infrastructure and governance.
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A member of the Ondo State Football Association, Dr. Babatunde Akinbinu has petitioned the Nigeria Football Association over the handling of the finances of the state association.
In a petition addressed to the President of the NFF, Ibrahim, Gusau, Dr Akinbinu asked that the chairman of Ondo State FA, Sunday Dele-Ajayi be compelled to present yearly financial statement and balance sheet covering the tenure of the current administration which is expected to wind up in March.
It was alleged that no financial statement had been presented in the past four years by the state FA board.
“On several occasions, when the matter was raised during AOB at meetings, the Chairman deferred the discussion. In fact, on the rare occasion when it was included in the Executive Board meeting agenda, it was again set aside”, the petition stated.
It was alleged that a lack of engagement within the board has hindered the development of football in Ondo State.
It was averred that the “lack of an annual financial statement or external audit raises significant concerns about potential misuse of funds.
“…This could ultimately undermine trust and investment in Nigerian football, as well as erode the integrity of our football administration.
“The symbolic reference to this at this time is the State Government white paper in Benue State where three former leaders of the Benue State Premier League team, Lobi Stars of Makurdi have been implicated in massive corruption and told to return over 2 billion naira.”
Ahead of the next state FA election slated for March, the petitioner wants the NFF to step in to ensure that the Ondo State FA adheres to the highest standards of financial accountability and transparency.
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Former Manchester City forward Benjani Mwaruwari on Tuesday challenged a ruling to block him from potentially becoming the new head of Zimbabwe’s soccer federation.
Benjani, who also played for Portsmouth, Sunderland and Blackburn in the Premier League, last week filed his nomination to become the next president of the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA). But an ethics committee of the association on Monday didn’t include the 46-year-old among those eligible to contest the January elections, without immediately giving a reason.
“Our client is aggrieved by your committee’s decision and he intends to appeal … without any further delay,” the player’s lawyers wrote to ZIFA’s interim boss Lincoln Mutasa.
“We are instructed by our client to humbly request that you urgently provide us with full written reasons why your committee concluded that Mr. Benjani Mwaruwari fails to meet eligibility criteria stipulated in the ZIFA statutes.”
Zimbabwe has been under a FIFA-appointed normalization committee since July 2023 when soccer’s governing body lifted the southern African country’s 17-month international ban caused by government interference.
A new executive will be elected in late January.
Former Zimbabwe international Benjani still has a chance, however, through an appeals committee of the federation.
Another prospective ZIFA president barred by the ethics committee is a controversial but popular local cleric, Walter Magaya. The church founder owns Yadah FC, a club in Zimbabwe’s top tier.
-AP
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