FIFA will appoint a temporary "normalization" committee to run the "troubled Gambia Football Federation's affairs until new elections are held." The decision comes after the current GFF board "lost the confidence of several major stakeholders" (AP, 7/11). ... Former badminton player Prakash Padukone "voiced his reluctance to the idea of changing the existing three-game format" to explore the Badminton World Federation's proposal of five games of 11 points each. After launching Tata Capital Super Shuttlers 2014 Talent Hunt, Padukone said, "I don't agree to the decision of the Badminton World Federation to test a best of five games scoring system from August." Top players such as Lin Dan from China and Denmark ace Jan Jorgensen "have also made their displeasure clear to BWF's five-game idea" (MUMBAI MIRROR, 7/10). ... The allocation for India's sports and youth affairs ministry for '14-15 saw a rise of Rs 561.24 crore ($94M) -- a 46.5% hike -- from the last fiscal "with the government Thursday announcing plans to improve infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir and Manipur." Finance Minister Arun Jaitley allocated a total of Rs 1,769 crore ($295M) "in the first budget of the BJP-led NDA government." Jaitley allocated Rs 400 crore ($67M) for the development of Indian sports, including upgrading sports infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir, a sports university in Manipur and training for athletes for the upcoming Commonwealth Games and Asiad (MUMBAI MIRROR, 7/11).
