The penultimate edition of the Club World Cup in its current format featuring seven teams will kick off in Qatar on Dec. 11 with the final taking place 10 days later, global soccer governing body FIFA announced on Friday. FIFA had said it would revamp the tournament to feature 24 teams from 2021, with Qatar hosting the final two editions in the old style as test events for the World Cup which the Gulf state will host in 2022. Three teams for this year have been confirmed with European champions Liverpool joining CONCACAF champions CF Monterrey and Oceania's Hienghene Sport. The club representing hosts Qatar will depend on the ongoing AFC Champions League. "If a team from Qatar are champions, they qualify directly for the second round ... with the runners-up playing the opening match against Hienghene Sport on Dec. 11," FIFA said in a statement. "If the AFC Champions League winners are not a club from Qatar, the current holders of the Qatar Stars League title, Al Sadd SC, play the opening match against Hienghene Sport." Participating teams from Africa, Asia and South America will be determined in the coming months. The draw for second round and semifinal matches will take place at FIFA's headquarters in Zurich on Sept. 16. Liverpool enter the competition in the semifinal stage and take on a second-round winner on Dec. 18. FIFA seeks update from Indian FA FIFA has sought an update from the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on the domestic turmoil surrounding the merger of two leagues into one top-tier national championship. The AIFF's plan to merge the franchise-based Indian Super League (ISL) with the I-League has faced major obstacles and there is little clarity on the road map, leaving stakeholders and fans confused about the future of club football. Earlier this month, the AIFF openly backed the ISL as the country's elite competition for the first time, saying it would recommend the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) awarded its champions a slot in the continent's elite club competition. In response six I-League clubs wrote to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and FIFA requesting intervention as well as an inquiry into the running of the AIFF. Following extensive consultation in 2018, a combined FIFA-AFC delegation made a series of recommendations to the AIFF on the matter. "Many of the elements under discussion are related to suggestions made in a joint FIFA and AFC report," FIFA said in a letter addressed to the AIFF requesting an update on the progress of the plans. "The report's objectives are among others, to provide the AIFF with external expertise and to support your federation and its stakeholders in establishing and implementing a widely-supported, robust medium to long-term strategy. "As you know, the report is therefore a comprehensive review and professional proposal which also contains a series of clear and concrete recommendations for your further consideration." The ISL, promoted by billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries and Rupert Murdoch's Star India TV, has grown in popularity since its 2014 launch, whereas interest in the I-League has stagnated. The I-League was formed in 2007 as a rebrand of the National Football League, which was India's first professional league when it launched in 1996. The AIFF said earlier this month it was backing the ISL because most of the national team players were playing in the league and it was attracting more fans in stadiums and on TV. Without making a reference to the FIFA letter, the Indian FA said its president Praful Patel "has broadly taken the same line" as suggested in the FIFA and AFC report in his communications with the I-League clubs. "Needless to mention that this is precisely the reason that a two-three-year window is required to resolve all contentious issues amicably with all stakeholders," the AIFF said. "The question of ... Indian Super League not remaining a closed league permanently has been clarified amply enough by the AIFF President, and promotion and relegation eventually would lead to the development of club football in India. "The AIFF is committed to engaging with AFC and FIFA as well as all other stakeholders for finding an early resolution to these issues." FIFA bans former Sierra Leone FA official Abu Bakarr Kabba, a former Sierra Leone Football Association official, has been banned for five years for accepting bribes, FIFA said on Friday. FIFA said Kabba was guilty of "having accepted and received bribes in relation to the manipulation of international matches, in violation of the FIFA Code of Ethics." The adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee has also fined Kabba 50,000 Swiss francs ($50,372). "The formal ethics proceedings against Mr Kabba were initiated on July 11, 2018 and stem from an extensive investigation into various international matches (attempted to be) manipulated for betting purposes by Mr Wilson Raj Perumal," FIFA said in a statement. The ban on Kabba covers all football-related activities at national and international level and came into force on Friday. The investigation into convicted Singapore-based match fixer Perumal's activities has already resulted in life bans for players and former officials. Earlier this week, former Botswana Football Association general secretary Mooketsi Kgotlele was handed a life ban in relation to the match-fixing probe. — Reuters
