Sports

CONMEBOL calls for unity ahead of World Cup

Published

1 year ago

November 16, 2022

As the controversy over the upcoming World Cup in Qatar continues, one of the leading soccer bodies in the world has called for unity among soccer nations.

Although millions of fans are looking forward to the tournament and sports betting sites such as betfromafrica.com have been doing plenty of business as bettors attempt to predict the winner of the competition, there have been vocal and persistent criticisms surrounding the tournament.

The complaints are not recent in origin. In fact, the tournament has been controversial ever since it was announced that Qatar would be hosting it. There is a long list of reasons why critics are opposed to the tournament, with the state’s treatment of its citizens, the many deaths of migrant workers who built the facilities staging the games of the World Cup, and Qatar’s terrible record on LGBT rights.

Amnesty International is just one of the organizations that has called on players and soccer associations to make a stand against the tournament, but there has also been considerable pushback from various soccer authorities, including the world governing body FIFA, which has advised all soccer nations to concentrate on soccer rather than what it describes as politics.

Managers have also spoken out against demands that players should be under pressure to make personal statements or protests during or in the build-up to the tournament. One of the most prominent was Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who said it was not fair to expect players to bear the burden for protest, although Klopp himself has also criticized the tournament.

CONMEBOL has issued a lengthy statement saying that the tournament, which gets underway on November 20^th, should be supported by all soccer nations. In its statement, CONMEBOL, on behalf of its 10 member associations, asks nations to show unity ahead of the tournament, highlighting the hospitality offered by Qatar, the excellent sports venues and the fact that all 32 teams want to demonstrate their soccer ability. The statement also emphasized that it was a time for the message of soccer to be delivered to the wider world and that optimism, diversity and tolerance were at the heart of soccer.

Although CONMEBOL’s statement will be welcomed by FIFA and by the Qatar tournament authorities, the controversy has not gone away. Many players have revealed that they will in fact be making a protest. In the England squad, 10 players, including captain Harry Kane, will be wearing armbands to support the LGBT community. Denmark’s shirts, produced by Hummel, will be plain and muted in color and design as a message about the human cost of the tournament. Australian players have also released a film calling on Qatar to repeal anti-LGBT laws.

Adding to the controversy, there has been some response from figures associated with the Qatar tournament. Qatari Foreign Affairs Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani has accused what he describes as a small number of unrepresentative people of hypocrisy.

Qatar won the right to host the tournament back in 2010, becoming the first Arab nation to stage the World Cup, but from the start, there has been criticism of many aspects of the bid. Initially, it was claimed that the Qatari bid was secured through bribes to FIFA officials, although a subsequent investigation cleared Qatar of any wrongdoing in the way that they campaigned.

Initial complaints were based on the fact that Qatar is not a soccer nation, and that playing a football tournament in Qatar at the height of summer would be dangerous for players and spectators alike. The latter criticism eventually led to the adjustment of the tournament, which was originally slated for the summer of 2022, to November and December.

However, criticism soon turned to the issue of the deaths and ill-treatment of migrant workers in Qatar. A report by a UK newspaper in 2021 suggested that as many as 6,500 workers had died in constructing the stadiums, roads and facilities necessary for the competition. The International Labour Organization puts the true figure of deaths and injuries at over 38,000, although the Qatar authorities maintain that less than 40 workers had died at World Cup construction sites.

The treatment of LGBT people has also been high on the list of criticisms. Gay men in Qatar can face three years in prison or even the death penalty, although there is no record of this penalty being enforced, and the nation’s record in this area is worse even than that of Russia, which hosted the 2018 tournament. While soccer authorities such as CONMEBOL may hope for unity, it is likely that protests will continue throughout the competition, from players, fans, activists and others.

Sports

Siasia Blames NFF Over FIFA Ban

Published

14 hours ago

April 26, 2024

The Tide

Former Super Eagles Coach, Samson Siasia says the Nigeria Football Federation supported FIFA to have him banned for alleged involvement in match-fixing in August 2019.
In a recent interview with Athlist, the 56-year-old, whose ban ends in a few months, said the NFF not only refused to support him but also carried out FIFA’s instruction not to let him know he was under investigation by the world football body.
“Nigeria abandoned me at that time of need; that’s my own take on how this thing played out,” the former Eagles striker and member of the 1994 AFCON-winning squad, said.
“It’s an allegation; they said bribery. What is bribery? Is it not when money changes hands? Was there any proof of that? There were none.
“I spoke with someone who was trying to hire me as a coach in Australia. I didn’t know the guy was a match-fixer, but FIFA knew this guy. Why would they allow him to be around any FIFA tournament?
“So, when they found out through emails, our correspondence about how this guy would take me to Australia, I played in Australia, so I felt it would be nice to go back there.
“We talked about how much salaries, transfers, bonuses, and sign-on fees were, and that was all.
“When FIFA was looking for me, I didn’t even know. I am not affiliated with FIFA; their affiliation is with the NFF. So, they went to the NFF and told them not to let me know that they were investigating me. But if they didn’t tell me, how was I supposed to defend my self Siasia added, “Then they sent me a letter, but it went to my spam. It was two days before the ban that I found out that FIFA was looking for me.
Siasia added, “Then they sent me a letter, but it went to my spam. It was two days before the ban that I found out that FIFA was looking for me.
“Then we started to see how we could communicate with them to see how I could have a hearing. But they said the time had elapsed and I should go to the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport).

Sports

WADA Plans Review Of Failed Tests

Published

14 hours ago

April 26, 2024

The Tide

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will launch an independent review after 23 Chinese swimmers were cleared to compete at the Tokyo Olympics despite testing positive for a banned substance.
WADA has said it was not in a position to disprove an assertion from the China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) that contamination was the source of the heart medication trimetazidine (TMZ) for which the swimmers tested positive.
Findings of the independent investigation, led by Swiss prosecutor Eric Cottier, are expected to be delivered within two months.
“WADA’s integrity and reputation is under attack,” said Wada president Witold Banka.
“WADA has been unfairly accused of bias in favour of China by not appealing the CHINADA case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“We continue to reject the false accusations and we are pleased to be able to put these questions into the hands of an experienced, respected and independent prosecutor.”
United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) Chief Executive Travis Tygart said WADA and CHINADA had swept these positives under the carpet, claims WADA described as completely false and defamatory while adding that it had referred the comments to its lawyers.
Aquatics GB said it was extremely concerned by the allegations, which it said threatened “potential loss of trust and reputational damage to sport”.
WADA was notified of CHINADA’s decision in June 2021, ahead of the delayed Games, and said it had no evidence to challenge China’s findings and that external counsel had advised against appealing.
In addition to the independent investigation, WADA said it will send a compliance audit team to assess the state of China’s anti-doping programme and invite independent auditors “from the broader anti-doping community” to join the trip.
WADA director general Olivier Niggli said: “While not one shred of evidence has been presented to support any of the allegations made against WADA, we wish to deal with the matter as quickly and as comprehensively as possible so that the matter is appropriately handled in advance of the upcoming Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
Details of the positive tests were revealed by the New York Times, which shared reporting with German broadcaster ARD.
China won six swimming medals at the Tokyo Olympics, including three golds.

Sports

AFN Lists Strong Squad For Bahamas Relays

Published

14 hours ago

April 26, 2024

The Tide

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria has listed Tobi Amusan, Favour Ofili and Omolara Ogunmakinju among the athletes to represent the country at the World Athletics Relays at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium in Nassau on May 4 and 5.
The body shockingly left out Favour Ashe, Nigeria’s fastest man so far this year, who would have helped Nigeria secure a 4x100m slot at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The Auburn University undergraduate has been in great form this outdoor season, breaking 10 seconds twice (9.96 and 9.99).
The 21-year-old was not among the 29 names World Athletics released on Tuesday in the final entry list by Nigeria for the event, and AFN has yet to give reasons for its decision t Meanwhile, Godson Oghenebrume and Udodi Onwuzurike head the list of eight sprinters listed for the men’s 4x100m event.
Others are Alaba Akintola, Karlingthon Anunagba, Consider Ekanem, Seye Ogunlewe and Israel Okon Sunday.
The team will strive to be among the best 14 finishers to secure a lane in Paris for the first time since 2008, when the quartet of Onyeabor Ngwogu, Obinna Metu, Chinedu Oriala, and Uchenna Emedolu did not finish in the first heat of the event at the Bird’s Nest in Beijing, China.
For the men’s 4x400m, African Games 400m champion Chidi Okezie headlines the list of eight quarter milers listed to return Nigeria to the Games since 2004, when Godday James led the team to a bronze medal finish in Athens, Greece.
Others are Sikiru Adeyemi, Dubem Amene, Ezekiel Nathaniel and his brother, Samson Nathniel, Dubem Nwanchukwu, Samuel Ogazi, who has been improving since his switch to the University of Alabama and holds the Nigerian U-18 record and Ifeanyi Ojeli.