Out of Bounds: Major sports news out of Accra, London and Madrid – Washington Square News

In Ghana, president-elect urged to increase funding for youth sports

Following National Democratic Congress candidate John Mahama’s confirmation as president-elect on Monday, the Sports Writers Association of Ghana asked — in a congratulatory statement — for financial investment in youth sport development programs and to prioritize creating employment opportunities within the sports industry. 

“This vision has the potential to unlock the vast talents of Ghanaian youth, promote national unity, and generate significant revenue for the country,” SWAG President Kwabena Yeboah wrote.  

On the campaign trail, Mahama worked with several key sports organizations in the country, including SWAG, and is determined to make sports an integral part of Ghana’s economic identity.  

The African Paralympic Committee joined SWAG in congratulating Mahama’s victory and urging for youth sports funding.

“We in the sports industry have no doubt in your capabilities to lead this great West African nation to the next level of socio-economic development and prosperity, through your visionary and inclusive transformational policies and programs,” AfPC President Samson Deen wrote. “The AfPC looks forward to working with you and your government to further develop and promote sports in general and disability sports in particular on the continent of Africa.” 

In England, Rugby Football Union faces calls to dismantle leadership

Three former chairmen of the Rugby Football Union have called for mass resignations from the union after bonuses were paid to executives despite a record year of £42 million in financial losses.

The union received major backlash for getting rid of more than 40 jobs in the union while Bill Sweeney, CEO of RFU, was paid £1.1 million total in salary and bonuses. Sweeney, who was appointed in 2019, had insisted the union was “well planned” for losses. 

Martyn Thomas, Graeme Cattermole and Brian Baister, the men who were in charge from 1998 to 2011, have voiced their criticisms of the organization in a joint letter.

“The recent RFU announcement of a world record net financial loss to reserves for a sports national governing body of £42m, accompanied by large pay increases and bonus payments being made to the chairman, CEO and other executives just a month after declaring 42 staff redundancies has done enormous and irreparable damage to the reputation of the RFU,” the letter read. “We would respectfully suggest that the positions of the chairman, CEO and the relevant RFU board members are now untenable. We believe a new leadership team is required to chart a new way forward, start the process of rebuilding and respect and therefore urge those officers responsible to do the honourable thing.”

Sweeney has overseen a multitude of changes for the union, including sacking the England national team’s most successful coach, Eddie Jones, for Steve Borthwick, who has only won five of their last 12 matches.

Spain to co-host 2030 World Cup with Portugal, Morocco

FIFA, the international governing body of association soccer, announced the 2030 World Cup will be hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco on Wednesday, Dec. 11. 2010 World Cup-winner Spain was elected host for the first time in 48 years, while Portugal and Morocco will be hosting for the first time. 

It will also be the 100th anniversary of the world’s most watched sporting event, which started when host Uruguay beat Argentina 4-2 in the final in Montevideo. To celebrate, FIFA awarded the first three matches of the 2030 tournament to Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, which is the home of CONMEBOL, also known as the South American Football Confederation. It will be the first World Cup to be officially hosted by three countries and the first time the tournament will span across multiple continents. 

FIFA also awarded the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia, making it the second World Cup in four tournaments to be hosted in the Gulf region. FIFA rules govern that a World Cup cannot be hosted in the same continent as the previous one and that each continent must have a turn before returning to the continent of the first tournament. 

The decision to combine the Spain, Portugal and Morocco bids for the World Cup was questioned as it covered two continents, and awarding the first three matches to Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay took another away. It allowed the World Cup to return to the Middle East and for Saudi Arabia, a country with questionable human rights violations, to host as the only bid remaining. 

FIFA has been mired in corruption and controversies since it was revealed in 2015 that then-FIFA President Sepp Blatter had been involved in bribery scandals for the better part of his tenure. He was also involved in the decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, which sparked controversy for the country’s terrible human rights record and concerns over the lack of football infrastructure.

Contact Jonathan and Logan at [email protected]