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Tag: FIFA

  • FIFA unveils new World Cup seeds for Africa June 21

    FIFA unveils new World Cup seeds for Africa June 21

    World football’s governing body, FIFA will release new seeding for the 2018 World Cup qualifying for Africa on June 21 following complaints from several teams.

    Egypt is among the countries that had complained about the seeding which put the seven-time African champions in Pot 2 along with Nigeria, africanFootball.com reports.

    The North Africans have argued they should be Pot 1 which is reserved for the top seeds.

    According to a memo signed by FIFA Secretary General, Marco Villiger and sent to the 20 remaining teams in the final rounds of qualifiers, a special ranking will be released on June 21, just three days before the draw for the World Cup qualifiers.

    The 20 teams will be drawn into five groups of four teams with the overall group winners qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

  • Footballing world mourns Keshi

    Footballing world mourns Keshi

    Football lovers, fans and umpires around the world on Wednesday mourn the shocking death of former Super Eagles Head Coach, Stephen Keshi, popularly known as the Big Boss.

    Following the announcement of Keshi’s death, the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) said: “His influence on the pitch cannot be underestimated. He enjoyed a successful club career in his home continent before exporting his talents to Europe, starring in cup and league-winning Anderlecht sides and endearing himself to Strasbourg fans in France with a stunning long range goal against Rennes that helped promote Le Racing to Ligue 1.

    Throughout his stellar playing and managerial career, ‘Big Boss’ certainly allowed fans, team-mates and his own players themselves to dream. Tributes from around the footballing world have poured in for Keshi, after his tragic and sudden passing at the age of 54.

    Chelsea Football Club of England acknowledged the coaching impact of late Keshi in making great players like Victor Moses and John Obi Mikel, both football players at Chelsea FC. The English club took to its social media platform to say: “All at CFC are saddened to hear of former Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi’s death. He worked with Mikel & Victor Moses

    Similarly, Fatima Samoura, first female FIFA’s Secretary General appointed on 13 May 2016, expressed her great shock at the news when she posted on her social media handle saying:

    Brown Ideye, Nigeria’s central striker who plays his football with Greek club Olympiacos FC was not left out as he laments the tragic departure of  Big Boss from planet earth. Ideye in his social media post said: “This is one of the saddest days of my life?. I will never forget the happy days, you coached me. RIP Big boss?? pic.twitter.com/mqNhFhFzK3

    Other football bodies and individuals around the world as follow:

     

    FIFA further said in its article that it is Keshi’s international career that will perhaps evoke the strongest memories though. As well as playing his part in that memorable AFCON title in 1994, he helped guide the Super Eagles to their first FIFA World Cup™, playing five games on the road to the USA before featuring just once at the finals (as captain) due to injury.

    “With many African countries looking for coaching experience from outside the continent to lead their countries at major tournaments, Keshi was a beacon of hope for coaches from the mother continent. Not only was he the first Nigerian to lead his country to the AFCON title, he was the first African coach to lead a team to the Round of 16 at a World Cup, achieving that feat at Brazil 2014,” the world football governing body noted.

    The social media is agog with messages of condolence after news of Keshi’s death stunned the global footballing community.

    [news_box style=”2″ display=”tag” link_target=”_blank” tag=”Keshi” count=”6″ show_more=”on” show_more_type=”link”]

  • FIFA REVEALS Blatter, Valcke, Kattner got $80m over 5 years

    FIFA REVEALS Blatter, Valcke, Kattner got $80m over 5 years

    FIFA’s top officials Sepp Blatter, Jerome Valcke and Markus Kattner awarded themselves pay rises and World Cup bonuses totaling $80 million over their last five years in office.

    Some of the contracted payments appear to break Swiss law, and evidence will be given to American and Swiss federal prosecutors who are investigating corruption implicating the world soccer body, lawyers for FIFA said Friday.

    “The evidence appears to reveal a coordinated effort by three former top officials of FIFA to enrich themselves through annual salary increases, World Cup bonuses and other incentives totaling more than 79 million Swiss francs — in just the last five years,” said Bill Burck of Quinn Emanuel, the U.S. law firm retained by FIFA during its corruption crisis.

    FIFA revealed details of the contracts of its former president Blatter, fired former secretary general Valcke and fired finance director Kattner one day after police raided FIFA to seize evidence for the Swiss investigation.

    Blatter got a 12 million Swiss francs ($12 million) bonus after the successful 2014 World Cup in Brazil and would have been due another 12 million Swiss francs for completing his 2015-19 presidential term.

    The secretly agreed bonuses were significantly more than Blatter’s base salary — 3 million Swiss francs ($3 million) in 2015 — which was published by FIFA in March.

    Valcke got a $2 million base salary in 2015 before being fired, but got a $10 million World Cup bonus for 2014 and was due $11 million from the 2018 tournament in Russia.

    The police raid Thursday included searches in the office of Kattner who was fired last week.

    “Documents and electronic data were seized and will now be examined to determine their relevance to the ongoing proceedings,” the Swiss federal prosecution office said on Friday.

    Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber opened criminal proceedings against Blatter last September, and against Valcke in March.

    Both are suspected of criminal mismanagement of FIFA money. Blatter and Valcke deny wrongdoing but were banned for six and 12 years, respectively, by FIFA’s ethics committee.

    No criminal proceedings have yet been opened against Kattner.

    “Additionally, FIFA will refer the matter of these contracts and payments to the Ethics Committee for its review,” FIFA said in a statement.

    Any ethics investigation could affect two senior officials at the heart of FIFA’s financial operation. Finance committee chairman, Issa Hayatou, the interim FIFA president while Blatter was suspended, and former audit panel chairman Domenico Scala both approved at least one of the contracts revealed Friday.

    Three weeks after new FIFA President Gianni Infantino claimed that “the crisis is over,” the turmoil rocking soccer’s world governing body continues.

    Infantino has been criticized for a breakdown in his relationship with Scala, who resigned on May 14. The FIFA president privately described as “insulting” a salary offer from Scala, reported as $2 million without bonuses.

    Since Kattner’s firing on May 23, German language newspapers have been fed a series of leaked minutes from meetings and FIFA emails which sought to turn scrutiny on Infantino.

    Elected four months ago to replace Blatter, Infantino pledged reform and a changed culture at FIFA was expected to face resistance from insiders. The 45-year-old Swiss official also arrived with a reputation as a critic of FIFA during seven years as secretary general of European soccer body UEFA.

    Infantino has not publicly criticized FIFA’s former regime but the contracts revealed Friday by its top legal advisers seem to have exposed a culture of secrecy and entitlement.

    Valcke and Kattner signed eight-year contract extensions on April 30, 2011 — five weeks before Blatter was due to contest a bitterly fought presidential election against Mohamed bin Hammam of Qatar

    At the height of FIFA’s crisis last year, Kattner was given further cash guarantees from FIFA, which gets almost 90 percent of its income from the World Cup: Around $5 billion for the 2014 tournament.

    On May 31, 2015 — four days after the U.S. and Swiss investigations were revealed by police raids on Zurich’s Baur au Lac hotel and FIFA — Kattner’s contract was extended through 2023 with extra clauses guaranteeing termination pay and indemnification for legal fees and restitution claims.

    “These two provisions appear to violate mandatory Swiss law,” FIFA said on Friday.

  • Ex- FIFA officials ‘awarded themselves £55m’

    Ex- FIFA officials ‘awarded themselves £55m’

    Former high-ranking FIFA officials – Sepp Blatter, Jerome Valcke and Markus Kattner awarded themselves pay rises and bonuses worth $80m (£55m) over five years, lawyers to the soccer governing body have said.

    FIFA revealed the contracts of ex-president Blatter, fired ex-secretary general Valcke and sacked former finance director Kattner one day after a Swiss police raid, the BBC reports.

    Its lawyers said there was evidence that the trio made “a coordinated effort” to “enrich themselves” between 2011 and 2015.

    Documents and electronic data were seized during Thursday’s operation, which relates to investigations into Blatter and Valcke.

    Suspected of criminal mismanagement of FIFA’s money, Blatter and Valcke were banned for six and 12 years respectively by the governing body’s ethics committee in February.

    Both denied wrongdoing.

    A statement for the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG), which carried out the investigations, read: “Documents and electronic data were seized and will now be examined to determine their relevance to the ongoing proceedings.”

    FIFA said the evidence uncovered by its own internal investigation would be shared with the Swiss Attorney General’s office and the United States Department of Justice.

     

  • FIFA sacks deputy secretary general Kattner

    FIFA sacks deputy secretary general Kattner

    Scandal-plagued FIFA has fired its deputy secretary general, Markus Kattner, with immediate effect.

    The soccer’s governing body said in a statement on Monday that an internal investigation “uncovered breaches of his fiduciary responsibilities in connection with his employment contact.”

    FIFA said it would not make any further comment, but it would “continue its cooperation with the relevant authorities.”

    Kattner has not been charged with a crime.

    He could not immediately be reached for comment, Reuters said.

    FIFA has been embroiled in a corruption scandal over the past year.

    Several dozen officials, including former FIFA executive committee members, have been indicted in the United States.

    So far, at least 15 people and two corporate entities have pleaded guilty in the U.S cases.

    Kattner stepped in as FIFA’s acting secretary general from September until earlier this month to replace Jerome Valcke, who was himself dismissed from the post and later banned by the ethics committee for 12 years.

    The 45-year-old Kattner, who holds German and Swiss citizenship, joined FIFA as director of finance in 2003 and took on his present role four years later.

  • NRA wants FIFA to educate stakeholders on new rules

    NRA wants FIFA to educate stakeholders on new rules

    The Nigeria Referees Association (NRA) has called on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to educate stakeholders especially the media and football fans on the new FIFA rules.

    President of NRA, Tade Azeez, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja at the ongoing FIFA Member Association Course for Referees that the awareness was necessary to avoid confusion during matches.

    “It is the first time in the history of football that there are going to have a massive review of the laws of the game, so, it requires so
    much.

    “But for all I know, our season is on, we can’t start interpreting when the season is on, it has to be when a new season will begin.

    “We will take every of our referee through series of seminars we will do to take everybody around it.

    “We will not involve only ourselves, we will have to involve the teams, everybody, so that when certain calls are made people will know why those calls are made.

    “There is an offence you can commit even outside the penalty area that will warrant a penalty kick now; you will be surprise that you can pick offside in the half of an opponent.

    “So, all these things we really have to sit down and ensure that it goes down to the grassroots for everybody to know that this is what football is all about.

    “It’s better for everybody to understand these things including you (media); we have to look for a way to educate the supporters of some of these teams because ignorance is not an excuse.

    “They should not take laws into their hands to say this is what it should be when they don’t really know, so, we have to prepare for it before we start implementing.

    According to Azeez, the ongoing course had afforded the match officials the opportunity to know the new rules adding that efforts must be made to carry the football fans and other stakeholders along.

    NAN reports that FIFA recently reviewed the rules of football among which is, the award of penalties from incidents that occur outside the 18-yard-box, but Azeez said more awareness needed to be created.

    NAN reports that the on ongoing course for match officials’ will end on Friday, while the new FIFA rules will take effect from June 1.

     

  • FIFA President to visit Nigeria

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Sunday announced that President of Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA), Gianni Infantino, will visit Nigeria in June.

    A statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by NFF’s Assistant Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire, said that the visit was a fall-out of NFF President, Amaju Pinnick’s recent meeting with Infantino in Mexico.

    The statement said that during the visit, the FIFA president would visit President Muhammadu Buhari and also attend the final of the NFF/ZENITH Bank Future Eagles Championship.

    “He will also have an evening with Corporate Nigeria and as well as have an interactive session with a horde of African FA Presidents who will also be in Nigeria to receive him,’’ it said.

    It added that Infantino believed that Nigeria was a big country and a massive football-playing nation that should help with “the new FIFA leadership’s drive to truly develop the game’’.

    “He is excited about our various capacity–building and youth development programs and that is why he is coming to watch the NFF/ZENITH Bank Championship finals,’’ NFF said.

    Infantino assumed office as head of world’s football governing body after winning election at an extraordinary general congress in Zurich on Feb. 26, 2016. (NAN)

  • FIFA audit chief Scala quits over reforms

    FIFA audit chief Scala quits over reforms

    Domenico Scala, FIFA’s head of auditing and compliance, has resigned in protest at reforms at the governing body of world football.

    Scala is angry the new FIFA council will have the ability to appoint and sack those in charge of its committees, including auditing, ethics and finance, the BBC reports.

    The council replaced the FIFA executive committee in the aftermath of a corruption scandal at the organisation.

    Committees had been “deprived of their independence,” said Scala.

    The Swiss added it would now be possible for the council to “impede” investigations by either dismissing committee members or “through the threat of a dismissal.”

    This, he added, “undermines a central pillar of the good governance of FIFA and destroys a substantial achievement of the reforms.”

    Scala has played a key role in pushing through reforms after the scandals that prompted the departures of former FIFA president, Sepp Blatter and UEFA counterpart, Michel Platini.

  • FIFA president to visit Nigeria

    FIFA president to visit Nigeria

    New FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, has told the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president, Amaju Pinnick, about his intention to visit the country very soon.

    Infantino held talks with Pinnick at the ongoing FIFA congress in Mexico on Friday.

    The Chairman of the League Management Company (LMC), Mallam Shehu Dikko, disclosed this during a television programme on Friday.

    Dikko said the FIFA supremo is happy with the development of soccer in Nigeria and most especially the partnership with La Liga.

    “I want to let Nigerians know that the NFF president had a chat with Infantino during the ongoing FIFA Congress in Mexico and he praised the development of football in Nigeria and also commended the federation for attracting the La Liga to partner with our league,” Goal quoted the LMC chairman as saying during the TV programme.

    “The FIFA president immediately told the NFF boss that he would like to come to Nigeria so that he can also see areas in which he could be of assistance to Nigerian football. He said he would come very soon.”

  • Senegalese woman becomes new FIFA Secretary-General

    Senegalese woman becomes new FIFA Secretary-General

    Senegal’s Fatma Samoura has been appointed as FIFA’s Secretary-General, becoming the first female in that post and the first African in such position.

    She succeeds former secretary-general Jerome Valcke, who was recently banned from football-related activity for 12 years.

    The 54-year-old Samoura, whose full names are Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura, spent 21 years working for the United Nations and will assume duties at the world football governing body in June.

    “It is essential that FIFA incorporates fresh perspectives as we continue to restore and rebuild our organisation,’’ FIFA President Gianni Infantino said of the appointment.

    “She has a proven ability to build and lead teams, and improve the way organisations perform.

    “Importantly for FIFA, she also understands that transparency and accountability are at the heart of any well-run and responsible organisation.’’

    Samoura’s appointment, announced at FIFA’s congress in Mexico City, completes a new-look to an organisation which has been dogged by corruption allegations under Valcke and previous president Sepp Blatter.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Blatter, FIFA President since 1998, stood down last year and was later suspended from football for six years for breaching ethics guidelines.

    After his appointment in February, Infantino had said he would “work tirelessly to bring football back to FIFA and FIFA back to football’’.

    NAN reports that Samoura, who will undergo an eligibility check before her role is ratified, currently works for the UN in Nigeria, and speaks four languages.

    She started her UN career as a senior logistics officer with the World Food Programme in Rome in 1995.

    Samoura has since served as country representative or director in six African countries, including Nigeria.

    “Today is a wonderful day for me, and I am honoured to take on this role,” she said.

    “This role is a perfect fit for my skills and experience — strategic, high-impact team building in international settings — which I will use to help grow the game of football all over the world.

    “I also look forward to bringing my experience in governance and compliance to bear on the important reform work that is already underway at FIFA.

    “FIFA is taking a fresh approach to its work — and I am eager to play a role in making that approach as effective and lasting as possible.’’