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International Football

Football Notes: FIFA Maintains Freeze On Brazil's Funds Until CBF Shows Reform

FIFA "is to maintain its freeze on distributing any money" to the Brazilian FA (CBF), until the federation "gets its house in order." But Gianni Infantino's reign "will not signify a seismic shift in FIFA's current stance towards the much-maligned CBF." Brazilian newspaper Estadao reported FIFA "wants the CBF to pass reforms, clarify the situation over its president and allow for independent audits of its finances." Marco Polo del Nero "is still the de facto president of the CBF, but he is under investigation by Brazilian authorities." He "may also be on the FBI's radar." Both the CBF and CONMEBOL "have been very slow in proposing reforms, let alone in possibly enforcing them" (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 2/19).

CSL SHOPPING SPREE: The Chinese Super League "has been busy with a buying spree during the winter transfer window." According to figures compiled by industry website Transfermarket, in the January-February window, the Chinese football league's overall spending was worth a world-beating €334M ($363M), outstripping the EPL's €253M ($275M) in January. It "was also more than the next four major European championships combined" -- Serie A, the Bundesliga, La Liga and Ligue 1 (CCTV, 2/29).

BRIEFLY ...
Real Madrid
, which is currently in third place in La Liga, "could face a scheduling issue" if it finishes the season in fourth place. Real, which is just two points ahead of fourth-place club Villarreal, would land in the qualifying round for next year's Champions League if it finished fourth, as only La Liga's top three teams earn automatic spots in the group stages of the CL. That qualifying round would likely conflict with Real Madrid's scheduled preseason tour of the U.S., which includes stops in N.Y., Boston and Washington, D.C. (AS, 2/29).

Chelsea Manager Guus Hiddink has urged doctors at the FA and Premier League clubs "to stand up against English football's gruelling fixture list." Chelsea has "to play four games in 12 days across three competitions after the club's sixth round FA Cup tie with Everton was scheduled for March 12." Hiddink: "The medical people at the FA and the Premier League should make this known. Every club has medical departments. The doctors should stand up and say: 'FA, television, whoever ... hey'" (REUTERS, 2/29).

The Nigerian Football Federation and former national team coach Sunday Oliseh "traded insults following the latter's resignation." Oliseh blamed "contract violations and unpaid wages." On its website the NFF said it "categorically denies the allegations" and accused Oliseh of not reciprocating the respect it showed him (BBC, 2/29).

La Liga side Valencia’s appeal against its controversial UEFA Youth League defeat to Chelsea "has been rejected by European football’s governing body." The club complained to UEFA after Alberto Gil’s "spot-kick in the penalty shootout was wrongly disallowed during the last-16 match at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground earlier this month" (PA, 2/29).

Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced on Monday that the country "will send an envoy to discuss the issues that lead to the suspension" of the Indonesian FA (PSSI) last year directly with FIFA. Joko said Indonesia would initiate the discussion now that FIFA has elected Infantino as its president last week to replace Blatter (JAKARTA GLOBE, 2/29).

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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