La Liga has taken legal action against the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) "in an effort to get approval" for a regular-season match in the U.S. A Madrid commercial court said that the league filed a lawsuit accusing the RFEF of "unfair competition." The court said that a decision is expected in two weeks, in time for the planned January match between Barcelona and Girona near Miami (AP, 11/29).
Former U.K. Sports Minister Tracey Crouch backed the Premier League's opposition to quota changes. She claimed that the existing system was "working for the England national team." The EPL and FA are "sharply divided over what should happen after Brexit." The clubs want a free global market with any player given an EPL contract also getting a visa but the FA will "only go along with that if an increase in the minimum number of homegrown players in each squad, from eight to 12, is agreed" (LONDON TIMES, 11/29).
Former Confederation of African Football President Issa Hayatou and Secretary General Hicham El Amrani were fined $27.9M each by the Egyptian Economic Court. The EEC ruled that the pair "flouted local Egyptian law" when signing a billion-dollar deal between CAF and French media company Lagardère in '15. The deal was not open to free and fair tender as required by Egyptian law, the EEC claimed. Hayatou and El Amrani will both appeal (BBC, 11/28).
FIFPro called for an "urgent inquiry into medical treatment given to players at several top-tier clubs in Cyprus." The demand from the world footballers’ union follows reports in the Cypriot media that "at least four clubs have been giving injections of unidentified substances to players, three of whom have been forced to retire with serious heart problems" (PA, 11/29).
Cameroon’s hosting of the upcoming African Nations Cup is "back in the balance after the north African grouping of football nations called for the tournament to be switched to Morocco." The North African Football Union (UNAF) is reportedly "putting pressure" on CAF to strip Cameroon of hosting rights to make sure that the expanded 24-team tournament is "not held in half-finished stadiums amid growing concerns the country would not be able to cope" (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 11/29).
The Belgian FA (KBVB) said that three players from Belgium’s U16 women’s team were approached in a match-fixing attempt during an int'l tournament this year. FA Integrity Officer Thibault De Gendt confirmed rumors while speaking to the Flemish parliament about fraud in the game. He said, "It concerns three girls of 15. After a training (session) they were approached by a Turkish man who offered them $50,000 each to influence a game" (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 11/29).
