Former FIFA vice president Jack Warner talks to the media outside Hall of Justice in the capital Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, on March 18, 2016.

Former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner can be extradited from his homeland of Trinidad to the United States to face corruption charges, a London court said on Thursday.

Warner’s lawyers argued that his extradition was unlawful but London’s Privy Council, the highest court of appeal for many Commonwealth countries, unanimously dismissed his appeal.

Suspicion and rumours have surrounded the 2010 votes by FIFA’s executive to hand the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 edition to Qatar.

In 2020 a U.S. Department of Justice indictment said bribes were paid to soccer officials to secure their votes for hosting rights.

The DOJ alleged that then FIFA vice-president Warner was paid $5 million through various shell companies to vote for Russia to host the 2018 World Cup.

His role as president of CONCACAF, which organises soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean, gave him enormous influence as a powerbroker for former FIFA chief Sepp Blatter.

A former member of the FIFA Executive Committee and former CONCACAF president Warner was suspended by FIFA in 2011 and in 2015, charged with wire fraud, racketeering and money-laundering by the U.S.

FIFA banned him from all soccer-related activity for life in 2015. The 79-year-old has always denied any wrongdoing.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino will stand unopposed for a third term as head of world football’s governing body next year, Fifa confirmed on Thursday.

A brief statement from Fifa said that Infantino would be the only candidate when the election takes place at the 73rd Fifa Congress in Kigali, Rwanda, on March 16.

“No other candidature has been submitted,” the statement said.

It was also gathered that he has recieved 200 letters of support from 209 eligible national federations that will vote.  FIFA has 211 federations, but two are suspended.

Infantino’s third term follows in the line of previous Fifa presidents – Joao Havelange was in charge from 1974 to 1998 and Infantino’s predecessor Sepp Blatter held office from 1998 to 2015.

Infantino was elected in 2016 promising to “restore Fifa’s image” after the federation was plagued by scandal in the final years of Blatter’s time in charge.

The German Football Federation (DFB) said on Wednesday it would not support Infantino’s re-election.

DFB president Bernd Neuendorf said he had hoped Infantino would show “deeper consideration for human rights and more commitment to humanitarian issues”.

Neuendorf has been a strong supporter of calls from rights groups for Fifa to set up a compensation fund for migrant workers who build the World Cup stadiums.

Infantino can point to the growth in Fifa’s turnover during his time in charge – the governing body is forecasting turnover of US$7 billion (S$9.61 billion) for the four-year cycle till 2022.

But many of his proposals for the reform of club football, including a plan to expand the Club World Cup to 24 teams, have received a lukewarm reception.

Senegal forward Sadio Mane has been ruled out of the World Cup in Qatar in a crushing blow to his team’s chances after officials confirmed on Thursday he would need surgery on a leg injury sustained in the run-up to the tournament.

Mane had been a doubt for the west African side after injuring his right fibula playing for German club Bayern Munich.

“Unfortunately, today’s (Thursday) MRI shows us that the recovery is not as favourable as we hoped and we unfortunately resolve to declare Sadio’s withdrawal from the World Cup,” Senegal team doctor Manuel Afonso told reporters.

The forward has been crucial to the recent success of Senegal, who are regarded as Africa’s best hope at the World Cup.

His absence will be a blow to their chances of advancing out of Group A, where they face the Netherlands on Monday before playing host nation Qatar and Ecuador.

Mane has been the team’s talisman, scoring the winning penalty at the Africa Cup of Nations final in Cameroon in February and six weeks later securing World Cup qualification. On both occasion they edged out Egypt on post-match penalties.

Mane, 30, has twice been named African Footballer of the Year.

Two well-taken goals in each half, propelled Portugal to a 4-0 defeat of the Super Eagles on Thursday in the first-ever senior international clash between both nations, with the Eagles failing to measure up to the 2016 European champions in Lisbon.

Diogo Dalot and Joao Felix ran rings round the Eagles’ defence and set up Bruno Fernandes for the first goal as early as the 9^th minute, and Fernandes increased the tally from the penalty spot in the 33^rd minute after right back Bright Osayi-Samuel handled the ball as Felix attempted another pull-out.

The Eagles could not respond to the challenge as Ademola Lookman and Terem Moffi were isolated upfront. Moses Simon sashayed into the hosts’ box as the first half wore on but his snap shot was saved by goalkeeper Rui Patricio.

In the second half, Coach Jose Peseiro brought in Samuel Chukwueze, Frank Onyeka and Paul Onuachu in place of Wilfred Ndidi, Lookman and Moffi. There were a few sparks from the right wing as Chukwueze strove to make his presence felt, but when he escaped the attention of the Portuguese defence after 73 minutes, his shot was blocked by Patricio.

Nigeria earned a penalty in the 80^th minute when debutant Osayi-Samuel was tripped in the Portuguese box, but Emmanuel Dennis failed to beat Patricio from six yards with a soft kick.

Portugal, who head to the World Cup finals in Qatar on Friday, saw that as a signal to ratchet up the pressure, and they added two more goals in the 82^nd and 84^th minute through Goncalo Ramos and Joao Mario as the Nigeria resistance collapsed. 

Nigeria’s athletics federation says last week’s conviction of two of its athletes for their part in a fraud scheme uncovered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is “sad and damaging” for the country.

On 10 November, Emmanuel Ineh and Toluwani Adebakin were convicted for transferring tens of thousands of dollars to the West African country as part of what the American justice department called “a complex fraud scheme”.

Prosecutors said the scheme involved athletes from multiple higher-learning institutions in the USA, with African Under-18 triple jump record holder Ineh, 23, and sprinter Adebakin, 25, operating part of the conspiracy while team-mates at William Carey University in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

“It’s really sad and damaging, not just to the image of the sport or federation, but Nigeria as a country,” Dare Esan, a board member of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), told BBC Sport Africa.

“This kind of action could potentially affect other young athletes seeking scholarships to American schools. It dents the incredible achievements other honest athletes have created in the world.

“But we know America is a country with justice and fairness, so whoever is found guilty will be punished and made to pay the price for their own actions.”

Following the FBI’s investigation, the pair pleaded guilty to violations of the United States code, having engaged in unlawful activities and having ‘sent tens of thousands of illicitly obtained proceeds to fraudsters in Nigeria as part of a larger mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracy’.

Both defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on 15 February next year in Hattiesburg, and face a maximum penalty of ten years in prison.

“Sadly, wire fraud and other criminal activities are not limited to athletics but have become a national problem that must be fixed,” said Esan.

“Imagine someone like Ineh, who’s won an African [Youth] Games medal, to be caught up in this? You allow yourself and bank details to be used for fraud and decide to derail your career – for what?

“It’s sad and disappointing to see young athletes with great potential go this route in life.”

A federal district judge will determine any sentence for Ineh, who finished in eighth place at the 2018 African Athletics Championships, and Adebakin, whose career has not shown such promise, after considering sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Ineh is one of Nigeria’s fast-rising long jump and triple jump talents, having moved to the University of Alabama earlier this year.

An African Youth Games silver medallist and continental age champion in the triple jump in 2018, his 8.16 metre long jump mark set last year remains the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) record.

Adebakin graduated from the University of South Florida in May with a dual degrees, a master’s degree in sports entertainment and an master’s in business administration (MBA).

He spent two years at William Carey University and won a national championship in the 4x400m relay.