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Tag: Fifa

  • Alleged corruption: FIFA expected to take over running of CAF

    Alleged corruption: FIFA expected to take over running of CAF

    A drastic and dramatic overhaul of African football is expected to be announced on Thursday, the eve of the kickoff of the African Cup of Nations, in the wake of corruption scandals consuming the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

    The CAF executive committee took a stunning decision on Wednesday to cede control of the running of the organisation and have FIFA general secretary, Fatma Samoura parachuted in as “FIFA High Commissioner for Africa”, according to sources.

    No announcement has been made by African football’s governing body but CAF president, Ahmad Ahmad is scheduled to hold a press conference in Cairo on Thursday at 0900 GMT.

    Ahmad, who is the subject of an ethics investigation by FIFA after allegations of corruption and sexual misconduct, proposed the idea in a document shared with colleagues on the executive committee, the sources said.

    Samoura is to lead a FIFA team that will conduct “a root-and-branch review of governance of the confederation, oversee operational management of the organisation, and recommend where needed a series of reform efforts,” the document read.

    “This will be done in order to put CAF itself on a modern and sound footing, improve its image and reputation and thus ensure that CAF is better equipped to face future challenges and to grasp future opportunities.”

    FIFA are to also undertake a forensic audit of the monies they have been giving CAF.

    The idea of sending Samoura to Africa is said to have been put together by FIFA president Gianni Infantino and CAF vice president Amaju Pinnick in the wake of Ahmad’s brief detention by French police last week for questioning on corruption allegations.

    Ahmad, who is seeking to hold onto some semblance of power or even walk away from his post without sanction, had been forced to accept the deal and then propose it to his own colleagues, CAF sources told Reuters on Thursday.

    With FIFA seeking to improve football’s image, the Ahmad controversy has come as major embarrassment to Infantino, who has been claiming a new-look, clean and corruption-free FIFA.

    Ahmad, by virtue of his position as leader of African football, is automatically a FIFA vice president.

    African football has been rocked not only by the firing of CAF general secretary Amr Fahmy for whistle blowing, but also a walk off in the Champions League final and the alleged assault on a referee by another of CAF’s vice presidents.

    The Cup of Nations kicks off in Cairo on Friday when hosts Egypt take on Zimbabwe.

  • Boban leaves FIFA post to join AC Milan

    Boban leaves FIFA post to join AC Milan

    Zvonimir Boban is to leave his position with Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to rejoin former club AC Milan as chief football officer, the global governing body said on Friday.

    The 50-year-old Croatian Boban has acted as FIFA’s deputy secretary general for football since 2016, working on tasks such as the reformed Club World Cup.

    Also he worked for the bidding process for the 2026 World Cup and the introduction of the video assistant referees.

    “I feel really honoured and privileged to have worked on such important projects to take FIFA back to its rightful place, far away from past scandals and a tarnished image.

    “Looking back, I feel a real sense of accomplishment about my contribution to these big changes over the last three years,’’ Boban said.

    Boban played for Milan 1991 to 2001, winning the Champions League in 1994 in addition to four Serie A titles.

    However, Milan have struggled in recent years by regularly falling short of the Champions League places while Juventus have won eight domestic crowns in succession.

    “I cannot thank Zvonimir enough for everything he has done for FIFA and football over the last three years by our side,’’ Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, said.

    According to Infantino, his dedication to football and enthusiasm are incredible and he has been an invaluable asset for FIFA.

    “We will miss him a lot at FIFA, but I wish him the same success in his new challenge at his beloved club,’’ Infantino said.

  • Gianni Infantino re-elected as FIFA’s president

    Gianni Infantino re-elected as FIFA’s president

    Gianni Infantino has been re-elected as president of football’s world governing body Fifa for a second term.

    The Swiss-Italian, 49, was re-elected until 2023 without opposition at Fifa’s annual congress in Paris.

    He succeeded Sepp Blatter in 2016 and has increased the number of teams at the 2026 World Cup and proposed key changes to the Club World Cup.

    Ex-president Blatter was in charge for 17 years until he was banned amid a corruption scandal in 2015.

    Infantino’s re-election was marked by a round of applause, after rules were changed earlier in the day to no longer require a vote from Fifa’s 211 members if only one candidate was standing.

    In a lengthy speech at the congress, Infantino focussed on the relative calm of his first term in charge compared to the situation he inherited.

    “Nobody talks about crisis at Fifa any more or rebuilding it from scratch,” he said.

    “Nobody talks about scandals or corruption, we talk about football. We can say that we’ve turned the situation around.

    “This organisation has gone from being toxic, almost criminal, to being what it should be – an organisation that develops football and is now synonymous with transparency, integrity.”

  • Super Eagles move up four spots in new FIFA ranking

    Super Eagles move up four spots in new FIFA ranking

    The Super Eagles of Nigeria have moved up four places in the latest FIFA Rankings released on Thursday by the world football governing body.

    The Eagles previously in the 46th position in the world are now ranked 42nd on the back of their impressive wins in Asaba over 2019 Africa Cup Of Nations hosts Egypt and Seychelles.

    The Eagles who are now third in Africa behind Senegal and Tunisia, are ranked ahead of the likes of Greece, Scotland and 2018 World Cup hosts Russia.

    In the period under review, the Super Eagles for the first time in 29 years beat the Pharaohs of Egypt in a high-profile friendly.

    A sensational strike by Paul Onuachu with eight seconds gave Nigeria the win and the Coach Gernot Rohr tutored also ended their AFCON qualifying series with 3-1 thumping of Seychelles.

    According to the breakdown on the FIFA website, there were 150 games played across the globe during the international period being reviewed.

    Nonetheless, things remain tight at the top of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking as the top three remained unchanged.

    Belgium are still the highest ranked team in the world as they still maintain a slender lead over 2018 FIFA World Cup winners France are occupying the second spot.

    Brazil are 3rd as England are now 4th as they have overtaken World Cup finalist Croatia who have now dropped to the 5th position.

    Uruguay, Portugal, Switzerland, Spain and Denmark complete the list of the top 10 teams in the world.

    Meanwhile, Coach Emmanuel Amuneke’s Tanzania team are the joint second highest movers in this edition of the FIFA rankings.

    Israel (84th, up 8) enjoyed the biggest jump of all, followed closely by Guatemala (143rd, up 6) and Tanzania (131st, up 6) after the latter booked their CAF Africa Cup of Nations place.

  • Poland 2019: Nigerian Referees missing as FIFA announce officials

    Poland 2019: Nigerian Referees missing as FIFA announce officials

    Nigerian whistle men and their assistants were as usual completely missing as FIFA released list of referees and assistants that will take charge at the FIFA under 20 world cup which kicks off May 23 in Poland.

    A check on the list released by the world soccer ruling body indicates that 27 referees and 42 assistants will be on parade another 21 Video Assistant Referees (VARs) were also appointed for the tournament in which Flying Eagles will be hoping to rise to the occasion and surpass their Quarterfinal best outing. The appointed officials are expected to undergo some course ahead of the tournament considered by FIFA as one of the most important tournaments in its calendar.

    Overseen by the FIFA Refereeing Subdivision, the officials’ preparations for this important youth competition will focus on a wide range of topics, such as their reading of the game and football understanding, teamwork and the importance of obtaining the best position or angle – being in the right place at the right time – to make the correct decision. All of these aspects reflect the FIFA Refereeing philosophy and are key to the officials’ performance, and as such, they are vital in order to achieve consistency and uniformity at such a high level of the game.

    The VARs will play a supporting role along with the assistant referees and the fourth official, but the referee will continue to take the first as well as the final decision on the field of play.

    The FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland 2019 will take place in the cities of Bielsko-Biała, Bydgoszcz, Gdynia, Lublin, Łódź and Tychy between 23 May and 15 June 2019. The final will be played in Łódź on 15 June.

    African representatives in the referees list were selected from Algeria, Senegal, Egypt, Cameroon Burkina Faso, Gambia and Ethiopia. Nigeria is making her 12th appearances at the FIFA u-20 World cup but failed to qualify for the last edition in Korea.

    The Paul Aigbogun tutored side has been pitched against Qatar, Ukraine and USA in Group D

  • European clubs reiterate refusal to play in 2021 FIFA Club World Cup

    The umbrella organisation representing more than 200 European clubs reiterated on Tuesday that its members would not take part in FIFA’s planned 2021 Club World Cup under current circumstances.

    However, the European Club Association (ECA) said it would contemplate changing its position if FIFA sat down and discussed changes to the international match calendar.

    “We are not willing to participate in this competition at this moment in time because of the congested calendar,” ECA chairman Andrea Agnelli told reporters. “Having said this, we are more than available to discuss changes for the future.”

    Agnelli also denied that the ECA has proposed playing UEFA Champions League matches at weekends from 2024 onwards, when the present format is due to be altered.

  • Man City faces two-window transfer ban

    Manchester City will be banned from making signings in the next two transfer windows by FIFA for breaking rules related to the protection of youth players and third-party ownership, according to reports.

    The club is already being investigated by the Football Association and Premier League for allegations related to youth transfers and financial fair play rules, with the latter also being looked at by European football’s governing body UEFA. That investigation could result in City being banned from the Champions League.

    A transfer ban for the Premier League champions would come less than a month after Chelsea was also hit with the same sanction for 29 breaches of article 19 of FIFA’s regulations on the transfer and status of players.

    The west London club has already lodged an appeal against that punishment but were told by FIFA last week that the sanction would not be frozen while the case is being reviewed, as Chelsea had hoped.

    FIFA has been investigating City’s international transfers for several years, although the club was cleared of breaking the rules when it signed Benjamin Garre from Velez Sarsfield in 2016 just after the Argentine midfielder’s 16th birthday.

    According to The Sun, FIFA believes City has crossed the line, though, in regards to their relationship with FC Nordsjaelland and the Right To Dream football academy in Ghana that is also owned by the Danish side’s president Tom Vernon.

    Last year, two players from the academy, Sierra Leone’s George Davies and Ghanaian Dominic Oduro, told Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten that they signed for City and played in youth matches before they turned 18.

    Both have since left City – Davies now plays in Latvia and Oduro in the United States – but FIFA has been investigating their time with the English club.

    And that investigation was broadened later in 2018 when a second Danish newspaper, Politiken, published a story that claimed City had a secret deal with Vernon to have first refusal on the best prospects from Right to Dream.

    If true, that would be a breach of the rules preventing the third-party ownership of players, as City could be argued to have undue influence over another club’s players.

    In regards to international transfers of players aged under 18, they are only allowed in three circumstances: the players’ parents have moved to the new country for non-footballing reasons, they and the club are based close to the relevant national border or the transfer takes place within the European Economic Area and the player is at least 16.

    As well as Chelsea, Spanish trio Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid have all been punished for signing under-age players from abroad in the past.

    Real were able to get their ban reduced on appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport – an avenue Chelsea and now perhaps City will also explore.

    Neither Manchester City nor FIFA were available for comment on Thursday night.

  • European clubs may boycott FIFA’s Club World Cup

    European clubs may boycott FIFA’s Club World Cup

    Europe’s top clubs say they will boycott FIFA’s proposed new Club World Cup, leaving FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s latest plans in serious doubt and risking a major split.

    Infantino had hoped to get backing this week for creating two new, potentially money-spinning, tournaments.

    This will be a new worldwide Nations League for national teams and a fresh 24-team Club World Cup to start with a “pilot’’ edition in 2021.

    However, even before Friday’s meeting of the ruling FIFA Council, Infantino was forced to drop the Nations League plan.

    This came after his own task force found there was no consensus for such a tournament and a lack of space in the international calendar.

    Infantino still wants to move ahead with his plans for a “pilot edition’’ of a 24-team Club World Cup.

    The council is expected to allow the idea to move forward ahead of June’s FIFA Congress which would be asked to endorse the plan.

    But a letter to UEFA and Infantino from the European Clubs Association (ECA) head Andrea Agnelli, chairman of Italian side Juventus, made clear the opposition.

    It was also signed by 15 members of the organisation’s board, including officials of Manchester United, FC Barcelona and Ajax Amsterdam.

    The letter, sections of which were published in the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, says they are “firmly against any approval of a revised Club World Cup at this point in time
    and confirm that no ECA clubs would take part in such a competition”.

    The ECA represents 232 European clubs, including all the leading clubs who would be expected to feature in a Club World Cup.

    It says a decision on potential new competitions can only be made as part of an agreed framework for the international match calendar post-2024.

    The ECA and FIFA were not immediately available for comment.

    The Club World Cup is currently an annual seven-team tournament which attracts minimal interest in Europe — the centre of the football business.

    UEFA, European football’s governing body, is unlikely to fight Infantino’s plans at Friday’s council, with the proposal expected to be passed on to a further meeting ahead of June’s congress.

    But it is hard to see how a 2021 edition could go ahead without the star attractions — Europe’s top clubs.

    The FIFA Council is also expected to decide to continue exploring plans to expand the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to 48 teams with the possibility of additional hosting in other countries.

  • FIFA recommends use of VAR at Women’s World Cup

    The FIFA panel overseeing Women’s World Cup preparations has recommended using VAR to help referees.

    FIFA President Gianni Infantino and UEFA leader Aleksander Ceferin, who chaired a meeting on Monday, are strong backers of the plan.

    At a meeting in Miami next week, FIFA’s ruling council is set to ratify video assistants being deployed to help women referees at the June 7 to July 7 tournament in France.

    The video assistant referees will likely include men helping advise all-female teams of referees and assistants. No domestic women’s competition uses VAR.

    Some men with experience working in VAR at the 2018 World Cup in Russia took part in trials at a boys’ youth tournament in Qatar last month with Women’s World Cup match officials.

    “The tests were quite positive,” Infantino said. “I would of course wish that we do use VAR at the Women’s World Cup.”

    U.S. women’s national team coach Jill Ellis, who brought up the issue at the men’s World Cup last summer in Russia, said on Monday evening that the decision was “fantastic”.

    “It’s great news. I think everyone in our sport realised it was such a positive, and to have now the same access to the same technology, I think it’s great,” Ellis said.

    “It’s going to be an intense World Cup and I think having the benefit of VAR is important.”

  • Former FIFA vice-president Chung banned from football

    Former FIFA vice president David Chung of Papua New Guinea has been banned for six-and-a-half years from football for ethics rules violations.

    The ethics committee said on Friday that Chung was found guilty “of having offered and accepted gifts, as well as having acted under a conflict of interest.’’

    He was also fined 100,000 Swiss francs (dollars).

    Chung stepped down in April 2018 as Oceania confederation chief and from the FIFA Council as FIFA stopped funding and probed financial wrongdoing in connection with construction of Oceania’s new headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand.