Four South African construction companies accused of colluding on contracts to build stadiums for the 2010 FIFA World Cup "will argue at a tribunal against a fine imposed by antitrust authorities." The Pretoria-based Competition Commission said that Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon Ltd., Group Five Ltd., Stefanutti Stocks Ltd. and Basil Read Ltd. "are disputing that they agreed to collude at a meeting to discuss tender allocation." The fine is separate from a combined $130M charge imposed on 15 companies "after a settlement process last year" (BLOOMBERG, 11/12). ... Russian Premier League side FC Rostov head coach Igor Gamula "has been suspended for five matches after being found guilty of making racist comments" (REUTERS, 11/12). ... As part of its 2018 World Cup planning, the Russian emergencies ministry "is setting up special task groups in FIFA World Cup host cities." While Russia has "problems with violence and racism in its domestic championship" -- problems it insists it is addressing -- "the special emergency task forces are designed to deal with disaster situations in the first instance, and especially fire and rescue situations." To create the special task force, the Ministry for Emergency Situations and Civil Defence "will be granted" an extra 6B rubles ($130.4M) from the federal budget over the next three years (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 11/12).
BACKING A BREAK: Veteran A-League side Melbourne Victory defender Adrian Leijer believes that the A-League’s decision not to incorporate breaks for int'l matches "will open doors for young players by allowing them to prove their worth in the national competition" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 11/13). ... French football coaches Claude Le Roy, Roger Lemerre, and Jean Fernandez are "among the candidates for the head coach position of Algerian football club MC Alger, the club announced Tuesday." MC Alger Board of Directors President Hadj Taleb said, “We have received CVs of six technicians, in particular some renowned French names such as Claude Le Roy, Jean Fernandez, and Roger Lemerre, who have already proven their worth. We will review their applications and choose the most suitable option for the team.” The club, "which has one of the biggest budgets and is sponsored primarily by Sonatrach, the publicly-owned hydrocarbon company," is in the relegation zone after ten days in Algeria Ligue 1. The club’s former coach Boualem Charef was sacked for “insufficient results” (SPORT 24, 11/12).
