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International Football

Football Notes: Botswana Grants 10 Eritrean Football Players Asylum

Botswana has "granted asylum to a group of 10 Eritrean football players who sought refuge" after playing in a World Cup qualifying match earlier this month, their lawyer said on Thursday. The Eritreans "refused to board their plane home" on Oct. 13 after playing the match against Botswana. They then claimed asylum, "becoming the latest in a series of defections by athletes" from a country under investigation by the United Nations for human rights violations (REUTERS, 10/29). ... National League North side FC United of Manchester will "protest against the decision" to force it to play its FA Cup first-round tie against Chesterfield on a Monday night when the game takes place on Nov. 9. The club recently declined the BBC's request to move its FA Cup fourth-qualifying round tie against Sporting Khalsa to accommodate a "brand new BBC Mobile Match of The Day Live experience," insisting that "football is not a TV gameshow." However, the team's "initial refusal to play Chesterfield on a Monday night to facilitate a live TV broadcast by BT was overruled by the FA," which has ordered the National League North club to comply with its rules (LONDON TIMES, 10/29). ... The FA will investigate the incident that occurred during ManU's Capital One Cup defeat by Middlesbrough on Wednesday night, when Wayne Rooney "appeared to have a laser shone in his eyes." Footage from the game "shows a green light on Rooney’s face as he lines up to take the penalty," which was subsequently saved by Middlesbrough goalkeeper Tomás Mejías. The FA said it was looking into the reports of the incident, which occurred in the end where 10,000 Middlesbrough supporters were sitting (LONDON TIMES, 10/29).

HIGH STAKES: Republic of Ireland players "are in line for a seven-figure cash bonus" from the FAI for reaching the Euro 2016 finals. A hefty package for Manager Martin O'Neill's players "will be on the table should the team survive next month's play-off against Bosnia-Herzegovina." FAI CEO John Delaney has given a commitment to reward the players if they make it to the finals in France, where qualification is worth a minimum £8.6M ($13.2M) for the association (London DAILY MAIL, 10/28).

IN SPAIN: La Liga side Espanyol "has received an advance of what it is owed as part of the league's new distribution of TV revenue." Espanyol President Joan Collet admitted this on Wednesday, and also announced that the club will hold a shareholders meeting on Dec. 22 (MARCA, 10/29). ... The Spanish Football League (LFP) offered the Bolivian Football Federation (FBF) help to apply in Bolivia the same financial control plan that has been instituted in Spain. This was agreed upon in a meeting on Thursday between LFP President Javier Tebas and Bolivian Sports Minister Tito Montaño, as well as FBF and LFP execs (EFE, 10/29). ... Sources close to La Liga side Valencia Owner Peter Lim's company, Meriton, said that Spain's District Attorney's office "has not admitted a claim" filed by ex-Valencia President Miguel Zorío. This came after a statement released by Zorío's "Marea Valencianista" platform (EFE, 10/28).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

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