Quote of the week
Gianni Infantino – unhappy with “the amount of money flowing out of football” to agents. Infantino – paid £1.15m basic plus bonus, house, cars and a flowers budget – warned the culture “raises questions about potential misuse of funds”.
Also new last week, a month after Infantino pledged to “promote human rights as a top priority”: Fifa approving Chechnya as Egypt’s World Cup base. Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov’s take on the backlash against his rights record: “It’s all an invention by foreign agents who are paid a few kopecks. These so-called human rights activists make up all sorts of nonsense for money.”
Meanwhile
Also making good governance headlines last week:
a) Africa’s confederation president Ahmad Ahmad – happy with newly elected executive Patrice Edouard Ngaissona’s fit and proper status. Ahmad said Ngaissona – a former Central African Republic terror group leader who denies links to atrocities – was “being destroyed” on social media, “but [there are] integrity checks at Fifa. And he passed his integrity check.”
b) Albania FA president Armand Duka – denying alleged voting irregularities after winning a fifth straight term. “I’m happy and excited. I say this with conviction: my FA is a model institution.”
And c) Thailand FA president Somyot Poompanmoung – rejecting talk that his decision to borrow $9.5m from a brothel owner wanted for alleged human trafficking looks bad. Somyot, a former police commissioner, told media he was “unaware” of how his friend made the money – “and it’s not strange at all that I would know him. I’m just the type of guy who has many friends.”
Plus: lesson of the week
Alexander Alayev, acting head of Russia’s FA, urging rival FAs to stop “throwing a shadow” over Russia’s image. Alayev – unhappy with Norway’s FA calling for Fifa to step up its Russian doping inquiry – told media: “Fair play is not just about players on the pitch. First and foremost, it’s about respect for each other.”
Other news
New last week from modern football:
a) Cayman Islands-registered Hong Kong-based Manila casino operator International Entertainment Corporation agreeing a deal to buy Wigan. “The proposed acquisition, if materialised, will diversify the income stream of the company and broaden its revenue base.”
b) Manchester United vice-chairman Ed Woodward giving fans a new measure of success: “The Alexis Sánchez signing generated 75% more social media interactions than Neymar’s world record transfer to PSG.”
And c) Jesse Lingard, revealing how misspelled banter tweeted from his account during the Munich disaster memorial service was sent by “a member of my media team. It does not reflect my personality or views on this emotional day”.
Busy week for
Switzerland: Sion president Christian Constantin – a) losing an appeal against his nine-month ban for tripping then hitting a pundit, and b) sacking his third coach of the season. Constantin said the sacking made everything better. “We were making the same mistakes every game. It was just like copy and paste.”
Also making changes
a) 2 Feb: Paul Heckingbottom – relieved to end talk over his Barnsley future by signing a new deal: “People can stop asking me about it now. There was never any issue about getting it done … never any doubt. This is a community club. I’m proud to be part of it.” 6 Feb: Joins Leeds.
b) 24 Jan, Bradford City, issuing a statement: “WE WILL COME BACK STRONGER, TOGETHER! The board of directors would like to place on record their 100% support for Stuart McCall. We all know that only we can control our own destiny. We must take responsibility, as a collective, not as individuals.” 5 Feb: “This decision has not been taken lightly.”
c) Didier Bortolozzi, president of Belgium’s AS Fontainoise, sacking coach Quentin Archambeau for making players take breathalyser tests before a match. “With this, he lost the dressing room. I’m not sure he had a right to do that.”
And d) Cristian Neira, coach of Argentina’s Escuela Presidente Roca, resigning after one of his fringe players pulled a gun on him and demanded more game time. League president Emeterio Farías: “He resigned for his own safety. This is a first for us.”
Nature of the week
Brazil: Anapolina president Paulo Nelli, sorry for any offence after calling a referee a “bum, thief, robber” and telling him: “you won’t leave this place alive”. Nelli: “Death threats are simply not in my nature. It was an emotional time.”
Most competitive
Brazil: Atletico-MG coach Oswaldo de Oliveira, reflecting on being sacked a day after confronting a “total jerk” “asshole” journalist in a post-game interview. “Yes, I had an irrational moment, but I was true to myself. My veins run with competitive blood.”
And best comeback
Argentina: Atlético Chascomús keeper Gastón “the butcher” Sessa, 44, accused of “punching a fan on the nose” after coming out of retirement. Sessa, whose previous bans include two for grabbing referees by the neck, revealed in 2016 how “people get me all wrong. Those who really know me know I’m a happy person. I’m just passionate about what I do.”