Adelaide to not participate in 2023 Women’s World Cup bid

The City of Churches will not be taking part in the FFA-led bid for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup

In news out of South Australia this morning, the Advertiser is reporting that the city of Adelaide will not be involved in Australia’s bid to host the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The South Australian government has reportedly written to the FFA, informing them of their desire to be left out.

Had the City of Churches participated, it was anticipated that Hindmarsh Stadium, home venue of A-League outfit Adelaide United would be the ground used.

There were plans to try and use the much larger Adelaide Oval, but talks quickly broke down due to what would be a near two month long clash with the AFL.

Having to play both the Adelaide Crows and the Port Adelaide Power interstate for nearly eight weeks would come at a serious cost to the AFL, one which they’re clearly not willing to risk.

Despite South Australia’s previous willingness to be involved in junior sport, especially on the women’s side, this seems to be a step backwards, given how this year’s tournament is still fresh in our minds.

The issue has now become political, with SA Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas claiming that the current government’s lack of desire to take part in this tournament will hurt them in the long run.

“It would seem peculiar that the State Government is pursuing the Commonwealth Games but apparently doesn’t have the ability to host a women’s World Cup game,” Mr Malinauskas said when speaking to the Advertiser.

Furthermore, the decision from the SA government seems to have been based mostly on the premise that Hindmarsh would not be a suitable enough location.

This seems extremely bizarre given that matches at this year’s tournament were held at similarly low capacity venues.

Hindmarsh holds a modest 16,500 fans, whilst French stadium Stade des Alpes in Grenoble also holds less than 20,000. A round of 16 match between Germany and Nigeria was held at this stadium, despite its small capacity.

What are your thoughts on this decision from the SA government? Join in the conversation on Twitter @Soccersceneau

 

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Relevent Sports and US Soccer settlement opens up opportunity for European games in the US

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Image credit: Ringo Chiu / Shutterstock.com

After a six-year legal battle, US Soccer and Relevent Sports have reached a settlement in the latter’s antitrust lawsuit which opens the potential for European leagues to play games in the US.

Recently Relevent’s lawyers filed a motion in federal court to dismiss their case against U.S. Soccer with prejudice—which means they won’t be able to bring the same lawsuit or claims against the federation again in the future.

US Soccer expresses relief as a longstanding issue is resolved, allowing the organisation to fully focus on growth and building momentum ahead of the upcoming World Cup.

“We are pleased to put this matter behind us as we remain focused on growing the game and harnessing the momentum of US Soccer ahead of next year’s World Cup,” US Soccer said via statement on ESPN.

The details of the settlement haven’t been made public, bringing an end to the long-running legal battle between the federation and Relevent Sports, the agency co-founded and owned by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross.

Relevent had already reached a separate deal with FIFA last year, agreeing to remove soccer’s global governing body from the lawsuit as a co-defendant.

“We appreciate US Soccer’s collaboration in reaching this settlement,” Relevent chief executive Danny Sillman told ESPN via statement.

”Ultimately, we all share the same goal: growing the sport throughout America.

“We’re excited to continue supporting clubs from Europe and around the world to expand the sport’s reach and impact across the US.”

Relevent first revealed plans in 2018 to host a La Liga match between Barcelona and Girona in Miami, as part of its 15-year commercial deal with Spain’s top football league.

FIFA quickly responded by introducing a policy that banned league matches from being played outside the home countries of the participating clubs.

As a result, Barcelona pulled out of the game, there was also disagreement between La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) over the idea of playing a league match overseas.

Relevent later tried to bring an Ecuadorian league match to the US, with support from LigaPro Ecuador, but U.S. Soccer denied approval, again citing FIFA’s policy.

In response, Relevent sued both U.S. Soccer and FIFA in 2019, accusing them of working together to block foreign league games in the U.S.

The lawsuit claimed this was done to protect Soccer United Marketing (SUM), Major League Soccer’s (MLS) commercial arm, and prevent competition.

Although the case was initially dismissed in July 2021, that decision was overturned in May 2023, opening the door for a trial.

Relevent eventually reached a settlement with FIFA, which included the creation of a working group to explore possible changes to its rules on international matches.

Just last month, it was confirmed that Relevent had secured the global commercial rights for UEFA’s men’s club competitions over a six-season cycle starting in 2027/28.

This means Relevent will now manage, sell, and market the commercial rights for the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League worldwide.

Additionally to collaborating with La Liga, Relevent also has commercial partnerships with the English Football League (EFL) and the Bundesliga, it’s also responsible for scheduling and promoting pre-season Premier League games in the US.

AFC President lauds ASEAN unity

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AFC ASEAN
Image Credit: AFC

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President, Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has celebrated the work of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) in a meeting with the Federation’s key leaders.

Speaking with AFF President Major General Khiev Sameth and AFF General Secretary Winston Lee, Shaikh Salman celebrated the AFF’s success as one of the leading Regional Associations in the AFC, linking the Federation’s strong sense of unity with its ability to effectively achieve shared goals to improve the standard of the game across Asia.

The AFC President also praised the Federation for the triumphant delivery of the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup in January, as well as the AFF’s other competitions including the new ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup 2024/25.

In a press release, President Shaikh Salman detailed the importance of the ASEAN Football Federation.

“As a Regional Association, the ASEAN Football Federation are amongst the pioneers in establishing top level competitions for their Member Associations and the fervent fanbase that has rallied so passionately around these regional platforms is indeed testament to the AFF leadership,” he said.

“Perhaps most encouraging of all is the expansion of these competitions to also include women’s football, age-group tournaments as well as futsal so it is clear that the beautiful game in ASEAN now has the potential to grow more systemically and holistically, further complementing the shared outcomes that we aspire towards as one Asian football family.

“In every way, under the wise leadership of Major General Sameth, the AFF has emerged as a model RA who have continued to serve as a thriving regional hub for its Member Associations to strengthen their capabilities and the AFC remains ready to assist them in realising their bold ambitions.”

The meeting also saw Major General Khiev Sameth thank the AFC President and Confederation for its assistance. In particular, Sameth highlighted the impact of the AFC Enhance program – a project which will double the Confederation’s support for Regional Associations.

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