Plans to use video referees in the early rounds of the English Football League Cup next season "have been shelved and the first live trials in English football are now set to be confirmed for the third round of the FA Cup in January next year." The EFL said in March that it was "open to using its knockout cup from the first round in August" but the chairs of the 72 clubs meeting in Portugal on Thursday are "set to be told that the trials are still several months away." It is now expected that the "training of match officials and the implementation of the necessary technology will not be completed until January" (LONDON TIMES, 6/7).
CONMEBOL filed a complaint to Paraguay's public prosecutor, alleging at least $129.7M was "embezzled from the organization's accounts when it was run by three officials charged by U.S. officials in the FIFA corruption scandal." The organization is "requesting prosecutors help it claw back the missing funds which were discovered following a forensic audit carried out by international accountancy firm EY." The "majority of the money" was diverted during the 27-year reign of former President Nicolás Leoz. Leoz is currently under house arrest (BLOOMBERG, 6/6).
La Liga announced a partnership with Nigerian stakeholders to start a high-performance academy to "help develop grassroots football in the African country." Legacy Sports President Philip Diwan revealed "plans to develop a high-performance academy in Nigeria in which players will be schooled by coaches from Spain, with courses also set to focus on the development of players' education and character." He revealed three La Liga events "to be held in Nigeria before the end of the year" (ESPN.com, 6/7).
South Korea's professional football players will organize a union to "defend their rights and enhance working conditions," a lawyer helping the establishment of the union said. The lawyer said that South Korea's professional players union will "get an approval" from FIFPro on Thursday at its Asia-Oceania Congress in Seoul (KOREA HERALD, 6/7).
Tanzania Football Federation President Jamal Malinzi confirmed Zanzibar's "fresh bid" to become a member of FIFA. Zanzibar, which is officially part of Tanzania but has its own government, "was given unanimous approval at the Confederation of African Football's general assembly in March." The archipelago has "long hoped to become a member" of the int'l football community and had its previous application rejected by FIFA in '05 (BBC, 6/4).
