#sports-governance

#sports-governance

Joan Laporta's current term at Barcelona has been largely aimed at lifting the club from the financial mess they were in at the time of his arrival. After all, the club were sinking into debt when he took over as the president. Through well-negotiated salary revisions, player sales and economic levers, Laporta brought Barcelona back to a competitive level on the field and close to the financial 1:1 rule, although they still have not hit the aforementioned balance yet. The club's situation and means of getting out of it, however, have generated significant debate in recent times.

Trust is the invisible currency of sports. Without it, even the most spectacular athletic achievements lose their meaning, reduced to mere spectacle divorced from the integrity that gives competition its soul. In an era when sports governance faces unprecedented scrutiny-from match-fixing scandals to judging controversies-the systems that build and maintain trust have never been more critical. For decades, tennis officiating has operated as a laboratory for trust-building under extreme pressure, developing frameworks that extend far beyond the baseline and into broader leadership contexts.

Association under fire for its lavish non-football spending The FAI paid public relations and corporate advisory firm Teneo €242,302 for services in 2024 - almost €100,000 more than the projected spend at the beginning of the year. Figures seen by the Sunday Independent reveal the extent of the cash-strapped association's spending on third-party communications experts, with Teneo receiving €148,400 in 2023 when the budget allowed for €90,000.

if the suspension is the price she has to pay to "protect my most intimate medical information" then she is "happy to pay".

That system once formed the backbone of Indian football. District and state leagues fed into national tournaments, and professional players could climb step by step from district clubs to state teams and eventually the national setup. The Indian Super League (ISL) changed all that, breaking away from the national system more than a decade ago. It has been drifting further from the base of the pyramid that once produced its players ever since.

French female boxers have been barred from competing at the inaugural World Boxing Championships in Liverpool after failing to meet a deadline for a genetic sex test that the French boxing federation (FFBoxe) said was incompatible with French law. World Boxing, which issued a list of competitors for Thursday's opening rounds with no French entrants included, said it would not comment on individual cases but added it had warned all federations of the policy.

Kharlan expressed her outrage and disappointment regarding the FIE's decision to relax neutrality rules, allowing Russian military athletes to participate in competitions. "It's one of the propaganda tools of the army," she stated, highlighting the direct link between these athletes and the Russian military aggression in Ukraine. She expressed deep concern about the implications for the sport, indicating that the integrity of fencing is at risk due to Russian influence and governance issues surrounding the FIE.

The OWGR denied the first application in October 2023, stating it could not fairly measure LIV Golf with two dozen other tours around the world due to its closed shop and compromised individual competition.

The Liberal Democrats have proposed an amendment to the Football Governance Bill ensuring that at least 10 Premier League games are available free-to-air each season. This amendment includes significant events like the League Cup Final and play-off finals from other divisions, aiming to increase public access to top-flight football without subscription fees.