FIFA’s former director of international relations Jerome Champagne has suggested that those at the head of the world governing body should not also be involved in the commercial side of the sport. Frenchman Champagne, who left FIFA two years ago, has been tipped to run for the presidency.
Asked by France Football magazine how FIFA could become more democratic, he said: “Those who rule FIFA should not be in a position where they are accused of conflict of interest.
“To get there, it would be appropriate to…create a subsidiary company that would look after the commercial deals.” In January, Champagne circulated a 20,000-word report to each of FIFA’s 208 member associations that examined how many of soccer current ills had developed. It suggested improvements to the game and changes at the top.
Corinthians fans set off fireworks: Some 15,000 Corinthians supporters waved banners, set off fireworks and blocked access roads at Sao Paulo’s main airport as they gave their team a rousing sendoff on their way to Football’s Club World Cup in Japan. Television pictures showed the team bus edging its way through the exuberant crowd after arriving at the airport late on Monday amid chaotic scenes. Photographs showed thousands of Corinthians fans inside the departure hall where they chanted, waved banners and set off fire extinguishers.
The total number of fans was estimated at between 15,000 and 20,000 by local media. Several hundred fans followed the team bus from the Corinthians training camp, turning the six-km journey into a procession. South American champions Corinthians go straight into the semi-finals of the Club World Cup, playing their first game on December 12, and are heavily favoured to reach the final where European champions Chelsea, who also have a bye to the last four, are expected to be their opponents.
Youth players face charges after linesman dies: A Dutch prosecutor will announce on Tuesday what charges will be brought against three teenaged players after the death of a linesman during a youth soccer competition. Richard Nieuwenhuizen, 41, died on Monday after an incident following an Under-17 match in Almere on Sunday. He was officiating for the Buitenboys team, in which his son was playing. Police arrested three members of the Nieuw-Sloten Amsterdam youth team after the incident, in which the linesman fell to the ground.
Nieuwenhuizen collapsed hours after the match and was taken to hospital where he fell into a coma. He died the following day. The BBC quoted Dutch Sports Minister Edith Schippers as saying: “It is absolutely terrible that something like this can happen on a Dutch sports field.”
