Established 1961 27 Sports Tuesday, July 23, 2019 FIFA’s African football takeover plan to face possible roadblock CAF executive committee member vows to challenge the decision in court CAPE TOWN: FIFA’s plan to take over the running of be cancelled. “In an attempt to salvage CAF from African football is set to face a possible roadblock with imminent implosion and irreversible reputational dam- an executive committee member of the Confederation age, FIFA proposed a poorly conceptualised and of African Football (CAF) saying he will challenge the worse executed agreement,” Bility said. “Logically, and decision in court. Hasan Bility, who is from Liberia and in a sane world, the acquiescence by the CAF leader- a CAF executive committee member for last two years, ship that they have been unable to manage their own said he will ask the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration affairs ought to have been followed by quick resigna- for Sport to declare invalid the agreement by which tion of its top leaders. FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura will be sent on “It is clear to me and many others that the agree- a secondment to overhaul the African governing body. ment as currently structured has the sole purpose of Bility said he also wants to ask the court to com- shielding and cleansing CAF President Ahmad from the pel CAF to start a forensic audit of its finances, crimes he has committed - financial impropriety, sexual which he said the executive committee had previous- harassment and nepotism.” FIFA has confirmed there is ly agreed to but CAF president Ahmad Ahmad then an ethics investigation into Ahmad, although he was stalled. CAF is in crisis following corruption allega- yet to be sanctioned. Ahmad has not responded to tions against Ahmad which he has denied. Ahmad Reuters’ requests for comment on the specific allega- was reported in March to FIFA’s ethics committee for tions against him. Bility also claimed FIFA President alleged corruption and harassment by CAF general Gianni Infantino has seized on the opportunity to get secretary Amr Fahmy. rid of his secretary general. Fahmy was then fired. He was detained in June by “Infantino has thus seized this opportunity to offer French police in Paris where he was questioned over a Fatma a ‘golden parachute’ into a confederation job to sportswear deal between CAF and a French company pave the way for her eventual replacement at the helm in which the African body is said to have paid exorbi- of FIFA,” he said. FIFA yesterday told Reuters it had tant prices for equipment it could have got much no further comment to add to last week’s release of an cheaper directly from the manufacturers. 11-point road map to help African football. Infantino In a statement released to the media yesterday, for- claimed last week that the unprecedented move to step CAIRO: Fifa president Gianni Infantino (right) greets Senegal’s coach Aliou Cisse after the 2019 Africa mer Liberian Football Association president Bility said in and administer African football would “significantly Cup of Nations (CAN) Final football match between Senegal and Algeria at the Cairo International Ahmad must resign and the proposed FIFA takeover improve” the sport in the continent. —Reuters Stadium in Cairo. —AFP stages. The Dutch side do not get players from their exciting young week later. Two-time European cham- Ajax face awkward automatic entry into the group squad. Central defender Matthijs de pions Porto, who finished two points stages despite winning the Eredivisie Ligt has left for Juventus while mid- behind champions Benfica in Portugal, Champions League for the 34th time and coming within fielder Frenkie de Jong has joined will face Krasnodar, who finished third Arnautovic scores on seconds of reaching the Champions Barcelona. PAOK went unbeaten on in Russia while Belgian runners-up qualifier vs PAOK League final. their way to winning the Greek Super Club Brugge will meet their Ukrainian If they beat PAOK, Erik ten Hag’s League, finishing five points ahead of counterparts Dynamo Kiev. If Scottish debut; Shanghai held PARIS: Last season’s Champions team will still need to win a play-off to Olympiakos as they conquered their champions Celtic beat Estonia’s HONG KONG: Marko Arnautovic headed home on his League semi-finalists Ajax were yes- join the likes of Liverpool, Real first league title in over three decades. Nomme Kalju in the second round of Chinese Super League debut on Sunday as defending terday drawn to face Greek champi- Madrid and Juventus in the main com- The first leg will be played at qualifying, they will face either champions Shanghai SIPG were held to a 2-2 draw by ons PAOK Thessaloniki in the third petition. It is not the easiest of ties for PAOK’s Toumba Stadium on August 6 Romanian side Cluj or Maccabi Tel- Chongqing Lifan on a day when Beijing Guoan finally qualifying round for this year’s group Ajax who have already lost several or 7 with the return in Amsterdam a Aviv of Israel.—AFP relinquished top spot. Arnautovic, who joined SIPG from West Ham United earlier in the month, came off the bench to give Shanghai a 2-1 lead in the 63rd minute, pitch created on the baseball diamond only for Alan Kardec to equalise nine minutes later. Liverpool fall received extra water during the match. That meant Vitor Pereira’s Shanghai missed the The pro-Liverpool crowd weren’t opportunity to join Guangzhou Evergrande at the sum- treated to many of the club’s stars as mit after Beijing Guoan, who had been top since the 2-1 to Sevilla in Brazilian internationals Roberto Firmino fourth round of matches, were beaten 1-0 by Jiangsu and Alisson were both absent for the Suning. Beijing led the standings by two points going into Fenway friendly Reds following their Copa America cam- this week’s 19th round, but Eder’s successful 38th minute paign along with Mohamed Salah and penalty for Jiangsu condemned Roger Schmidt’s side to a NEW YORK: Alejandro Pozo delivered Sadio Mane, both missing due to the third defeat of the season. As a result, seven-time cham- the late dagger in 10-man Sevilla’s 2-1 African Cup of Nations. pions Guangzhou Evergrande ended the weekend one friendly win over Liverpool in Boston As in a 3-2 defeat to Borussia point ahead of Beijing, having handed cross-city rivals Sunday, a defeat made worse for the Dortmund on Friday in Indiana, there Guangzhou R&F a 5-0 thrashing on Saturday, with new Brazilian signing Elkeson claiming a hat-trick. That win European champions when they saw was some shaky defending from Yasser Larouci stretchered off. saw Fabio Cannavaro’s side extend their winning run in Liverpool. Nolito’s powerful shot in the the league to 10 straight games and put themselves in Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was 37th minute past Liverpool starting furious at Joris Gagnon’s outrageous pole position for the first time this season. “We have won goalkeeper Andy Lonergan-who was at 16 games and it is incredible when we review it now,” kick at an on-rushing Larouci in the 76th Middlesbrough last season-was Sevilla’s said Schmidt after Beijing’s loss in Nanjing. minute. Gnagnon was shown a straight reward after a half-hour of pressure. It “Today we lost and now another team is ranked first red card after sweeping one of the needed a sprawling save from Lonergan in the standings, but we still have 11 games to go and we Frenchman’s legs out from underneath in the 13th minute to deny Luuk de Jong will continue to fight and fight.” SIPG are third, two him, toppling him to the pitch where his after Liverpool lost possession in their points behind Evergrande on 47 points, as Pereira’s side head bounced hard on the ground. own territory and de Jong was just wide BOSTON: Yasser Larouci #65 of Liverpool is fouled by Joris Gnagnon #24 during battled back from Fernandinho’s opener in first-half “(It’s) much too early in the season to with a header in the 23rd. the second half of a pre-season friendly at Fenway Park in Boston, injury time, with Yuan Mincheng’s own goal levelling for create headlines with saying the things I Massachusetts. —AFP photos the champions after 51 minutes. Arnautovic then put think about the situation,” Klopp said at ‘Not too cool’ SIPG in front with a fierce downward header from his post-match press conference, where Liverpool’s equalizer came off a Oscar’s curling cross from the left, only for Kardec to he added that it appeared that the 18- scrappy set piece as Trent Alexander- secure a point for Jordi Cruyff’s side. year-old Larouci was “lucky” in terms of Arnold’s corner was kept alive by Nat Shandong Luneng consolidated their hold on fourth avoiding serious injury. “But of course, Phillips, the ball falling to an unmarked place with a 3-0 win over Shenzhen FC as Marouane how it always is with these things we Divock Origi who swept in from close Fellaini and Graziano Pelle both hit the target while Hebei CFFC and Tianjin Tianhai drew 2-2. Rafa Benitez have to wait a little bit. I don’t know 100 range in the 44th. Both teams made saw his Dalian Yifang side share a 3-3 draw with Tianjin percent. It looks like he was lucky but I wholesale changes at halftime, but Teda. The former Newcastle United manager, linking up only spoke quickly to the Doc and that’s even a match that was just one more again with striker Salomon Rondon, watched the what he said, but we have to see.” step in both team’s pre-season prepa- Venezuelan international score an 84th minute equaliser Even with the La Liga outfit reduced rations there was nothing laid back on his debut.