So the third CONIFA Football
World Cup continued on Tuesday with the Quarter Finals of the competition plus
the First Round of Placement Games although even before the action got underway
today some dramatic events had already taken place on the rest day. Here is what happened:-
The Confederation of Independent Football Associations (CONIFA) was informed that Ellan Vannin chose to withdraw from the 2018 Paddy Power World Football Cup after a vote of the tournament management committee chose to reject a challenge by Ellan Vannin to the eligibility of a Barawa player in their final group game loss on Sunday. Therefore Tuesday’s fixture against Tibet would be fulfilled by the ‘London Turkish All-Stars’ and Ellan Vannin’s remaining fixtures in the tournament will be fulfilled by other opponents. Tibet would be awarded the original Placement Round One Quarter Final game as a 3-0 win and will progress to the next stage.
Here is a statement from CONIFA themselves to explain why they rejected the appeal:-
"Following an extraordinary meeting of the 2018 Paddy Power World Football Cup management committee, CONIFA wishes to announce that Ellan Vannin’s appeal against the progression of Barawa to the tournament quarter finals has been denied.
Following the conclusion of Group A on Sunday 3 June, Ellan Vannin – who placed third – lodged an appeal on the basis that a Barawa player, Mohamed Bettamer, was not in Barawa’s tournament squad and was therefore ineligible.
One hour before the Barawa’s first match of the tournament, on Thursday 31 May, team management were advised by a club that two selected players could not participate. On Friday 1 June, team management lodged a request with CONIFA to permit an additional player – Bettamer – to join the Barawa squad.
On the basis that a majority of participating teams had not complied with the squad registration deadline, and had been permitted to make changes following that deadline (but prior to Thursday 31 May), CONIFA granted Barawa’s request. That decision was not communicated to the other participating teams.
Pursuant to tournament rules, Ellan Vannin’s appeal was submitted for determination to the tournament management committee. The committee consists of nine members of the tournament organising committee, and one delegate from each of the 16 participating teams. Given that the matter directly concerned them, Barawa and Ellan Vannin were not permitted to vote.
On the morning of Monday 4 June, the tournament management committee met to determine Ellan Vannin’s appeal. The committee resolved to reject the appeal. Ellan Vannin subsequently sought to appeal the decision. The tournament management committee accepted their appeal.
On the evening of Monday 4 June, the tournament organising committee reconvened. 10 teams were represented in person. Three provided valid written proxies. Six tournament organising committee representatives were present. One provided a valid written proxy.
The committee firstly annulled the prior acceptance of the appeal on the basis that the decision was flawed by procedural irregularities, because CONIFA’s voting procedures had not been followed.
The committee then voted on whether Ellan Vannin’s appeal should be accepted, in which case Barawa would be relegated to third place and Ellan Vannin would proceed to the quarterfinal. By a vote of 13 to seven, the committee rejected Ellan Vannin’s appeal. Accordingly, Barawa will play in the tournament quarter finals on Tuesday.
The committee then voted on whether Bettamer should be permitted to continue playing in the remainder of the tournament. By a vote of nine to five, with five abstentions and one uncast vote, the committee determined that Bettamer is eligible for selection for the remainder of the tournament.
CONIFA is committed to transparency and openness, and hence have decided to outline the process followed as above. CONIFA wishes to reiterate that it is a volunteer-run charity."
Seems a little bit of a mess to me, at the end of the day I can see both sides to this, however I hope this does not overshadow what has been a terrific competition so far and I hope the remainder of the tournament doesn't suffer as a result as the other teams involved deserve the support. It is a really sad state of affairs though and sadly I have seen some rather disturbing comments on social media about this, so feel this might not be the last we hear of it, anyway what's done is done, so we must try and move on.
The Confederation of Independent Football Associations (CONIFA) was informed that Ellan Vannin chose to withdraw from the 2018 Paddy Power World Football Cup after a vote of the tournament management committee chose to reject a challenge by Ellan Vannin to the eligibility of a Barawa player in their final group game loss on Sunday. Therefore Tuesday’s fixture against Tibet would be fulfilled by the ‘London Turkish All-Stars’ and Ellan Vannin’s remaining fixtures in the tournament will be fulfilled by other opponents. Tibet would be awarded the original Placement Round One Quarter Final game as a 3-0 win and will progress to the next stage.
Here is a statement from CONIFA themselves to explain why they rejected the appeal:-
"Following an extraordinary meeting of the 2018 Paddy Power World Football Cup management committee, CONIFA wishes to announce that Ellan Vannin’s appeal against the progression of Barawa to the tournament quarter finals has been denied.
Following the conclusion of Group A on Sunday 3 June, Ellan Vannin – who placed third – lodged an appeal on the basis that a Barawa player, Mohamed Bettamer, was not in Barawa’s tournament squad and was therefore ineligible.
One hour before the Barawa’s first match of the tournament, on Thursday 31 May, team management were advised by a club that two selected players could not participate. On Friday 1 June, team management lodged a request with CONIFA to permit an additional player – Bettamer – to join the Barawa squad.
On the basis that a majority of participating teams had not complied with the squad registration deadline, and had been permitted to make changes following that deadline (but prior to Thursday 31 May), CONIFA granted Barawa’s request. That decision was not communicated to the other participating teams.
Pursuant to tournament rules, Ellan Vannin’s appeal was submitted for determination to the tournament management committee. The committee consists of nine members of the tournament organising committee, and one delegate from each of the 16 participating teams. Given that the matter directly concerned them, Barawa and Ellan Vannin were not permitted to vote.
On the morning of Monday 4 June, the tournament management committee met to determine Ellan Vannin’s appeal. The committee resolved to reject the appeal. Ellan Vannin subsequently sought to appeal the decision. The tournament management committee accepted their appeal.
On the evening of Monday 4 June, the tournament organising committee reconvened. 10 teams were represented in person. Three provided valid written proxies. Six tournament organising committee representatives were present. One provided a valid written proxy.
The committee firstly annulled the prior acceptance of the appeal on the basis that the decision was flawed by procedural irregularities, because CONIFA’s voting procedures had not been followed.
The committee then voted on whether Ellan Vannin’s appeal should be accepted, in which case Barawa would be relegated to third place and Ellan Vannin would proceed to the quarterfinal. By a vote of 13 to seven, the committee rejected Ellan Vannin’s appeal. Accordingly, Barawa will play in the tournament quarter finals on Tuesday.
The committee then voted on whether Bettamer should be permitted to continue playing in the remainder of the tournament. By a vote of nine to five, with five abstentions and one uncast vote, the committee determined that Bettamer is eligible for selection for the remainder of the tournament.
CONIFA is committed to transparency and openness, and hence have decided to outline the process followed as above. CONIFA wishes to reiterate that it is a volunteer-run charity."
Seems a little bit of a mess to me, at the end of the day I can see both sides to this, however I hope this does not overshadow what has been a terrific competition so far and I hope the remainder of the tournament doesn't suffer as a result as the other teams involved deserve the support. It is a really sad state of affairs though and sadly I have seen some rather disturbing comments on social media about this, so feel this might not be the last we hear of it, anyway what's done is done, so we must try and move on.
So not a great start
to the knock out stages and the placement rounds, but these did take place
today and here is how they fared:-
Quarter Finals
Barawa 0 Northern Cyprus 8
Whether the events of the last day or so played on the minds of Barawa remains to be seen but they were torn apart by a rampant Northern Cyprus outfit to exit the knock out stages of the competition. Northern Cyprus took the lead after the Barawa keeper could only parry a shot into the path of Ugur Naci Gök who slotted home and Barawa, the tournament hosts, continued to be on the ropes, and were forced into an early change, with captain Omar Sufi making way for Walid Mohamed. The Northern Cypriots were deservedly ahead at the break and totally overrun their opponents in the second half and doubled their lead before making it two in quick succession as Halil Turan headed home. Good work by Billy Mehmet down the right saw his cross turned into his own net by the unlucky Ayuub Ali for number four, before Turan blasted in off the crossbar after a well-worked counter-attack to make it five. Gök made it six before Mehmet headed home from a corner to put Northern Cyprus 7-0 up, and they completed the rout when Tansel Osman passed it home as Northern Cyprus eased through to the semis and set up a clash with favourites Padania at Carshalton on Thursday.
Padania 2 Panjab 0
Pre-tournament favourites Pandania saw off 2016 runners up Panjab to set up a semi final against Northern Cyprus on Thursday. A goalless first half, which saw the match ball replaced after the original one had gone flat and saw plenty of heavy challenges, eventually saw the deadlock broken when Innocenti sent Butt the wrong way from the penalty spot. It was a proper match up though, as expected, but it was one that Padania managed to seal with a second goal, meaning they continue their march towards the title they so desperately want.
Cascadia 1 Karpatalya 3
Karpatalya set up an all Hungarian semi-final on Thursday against Szekely Land after they saw off Cascadia in their Quarter Final tie. A goalless first half made way for a second half which saw Karpatalya go 1-0 up before Karpatalya took control as Takacs tapped in at the far post to double their advantage. Cascadia did reduce the deficit but Karpatalya sealed the win, as Gajdos won and then converted a penalty for his side to take victory in an entertaining encounter.
Whether the events of the last day or so played on the minds of Barawa remains to be seen but they were torn apart by a rampant Northern Cyprus outfit to exit the knock out stages of the competition. Northern Cyprus took the lead after the Barawa keeper could only parry a shot into the path of Ugur Naci Gök who slotted home and Barawa, the tournament hosts, continued to be on the ropes, and were forced into an early change, with captain Omar Sufi making way for Walid Mohamed. The Northern Cypriots were deservedly ahead at the break and totally overrun their opponents in the second half and doubled their lead before making it two in quick succession as Halil Turan headed home. Good work by Billy Mehmet down the right saw his cross turned into his own net by the unlucky Ayuub Ali for number four, before Turan blasted in off the crossbar after a well-worked counter-attack to make it five. Gök made it six before Mehmet headed home from a corner to put Northern Cyprus 7-0 up, and they completed the rout when Tansel Osman passed it home as Northern Cyprus eased through to the semis and set up a clash with favourites Padania at Carshalton on Thursday.
Padania 2 Panjab 0
Pre-tournament favourites Pandania saw off 2016 runners up Panjab to set up a semi final against Northern Cyprus on Thursday. A goalless first half, which saw the match ball replaced after the original one had gone flat and saw plenty of heavy challenges, eventually saw the deadlock broken when Innocenti sent Butt the wrong way from the penalty spot. It was a proper match up though, as expected, but it was one that Padania managed to seal with a second goal, meaning they continue their march towards the title they so desperately want.
Cascadia 1 Karpatalya 3
Karpatalya set up an all Hungarian semi-final on Thursday against Szekely Land after they saw off Cascadia in their Quarter Final tie. A goalless first half made way for a second half which saw Karpatalya go 1-0 up before Karpatalya took control as Takacs tapped in at the far post to double their advantage. Cascadia did reduce the deficit but Karpatalya sealed the win, as Gajdos won and then converted a penalty for his side to take victory in an entertaining encounter.
Szekely Land 4 Western
Armenia 0
Western Armenia’s chances of progression ended after they self-destructed discipline wise, ending the game with nine men as well as seeing their coach sent from the dugout as they were beaten by Szekely Land. Armenia went down to ten men early on after Raffi Kaya was sent off for a late challenge on Arthur Gyorgyi, which also led to their coach being dismissed too. Szekely Land then took the lead when Tanko Zsolt beat the keeper into the far corner, and this feisty affar threatened to boil over again after another heavy tackle, but Szekely Land managed to double their lead through a Csaba Czismadia header. Szekely Land then grabbed another before another red card for Western Armenia was shown after Hirac Yayan was sent off for an altercation, and then a horrendous mistake by a Western Armenia defender allowed Szekely Land in to slot into an open net and cap a good day for the Hungarian side and set up a clash against Karpatalya in the semi-finals on Thursday.
Western Armenia’s chances of progression ended after they self-destructed discipline wise, ending the game with nine men as well as seeing their coach sent from the dugout as they were beaten by Szekely Land. Armenia went down to ten men early on after Raffi Kaya was sent off for a late challenge on Arthur Gyorgyi, which also led to their coach being dismissed too. Szekely Land then took the lead when Tanko Zsolt beat the keeper into the far corner, and this feisty affar threatened to boil over again after another heavy tackle, but Szekely Land managed to double their lead through a Csaba Czismadia header. Szekely Land then grabbed another before another red card for Western Armenia was shown after Hirac Yayan was sent off for an altercation, and then a horrendous mistake by a Western Armenia defender allowed Szekely Land in to slot into an open net and cap a good day for the Hungarian side and set up a clash against Karpatalya in the semi-finals on Thursday.
Here are some photos from today's Quarter Finals, courtesy of
9-16th Placement Games - Quarter Finals
Ellan Vannin P-P Tibet
Ellan Vannin P-P Tibet
Match postponed after Ellan Vannin pulled out of the
tournament, tie awarded to Tibet 3-0. Tibet did play a London Turkish Select XI
instead so people had a chance to watch a game and also Tibet were given the
chance of some match time, and the Select XI ran out 4-0 winners. Tibet will take on Kabylia in the next stage
of the Placement Games.
Matabeleland 0 Kabylia 0 (Kabylia won 4-3 on penalties)
Kabylia are though to take on Tibet in the 9th-12 Placement Games section after they won on penalties to defeat Matabeleland. An even start to the game saw both teams going for it early on, but this soon made way for a midfield battle in what was becoming a tense affair. Kabylia then lost their keeper to injury, before some intense pressure by Kabylia was met by decent Matebeleland defending. Both teams were putting in battling performances, and Matabeleland thought they had taken the lead, but it was ruled offside, and in meant the half finished goalless. The first attack of the second half at Enfield came from Matebeleland, and as the half went on things were getting heated between the sides, before Kabylia came close from a free kick on the edge of the area. However, neither side could find a breakthrough, meaning penalties, which saw Kabylia triumph 4-3 and take the win. Matabeleland go into the 13th-16 placement section and will be awarded a 3-0 win after Ellan Vannin pulled out.
Tamil Eelam 0 Abkhazia 6
Holders Abkhazia netted five second half goals to see off Tamil Eelam to take their place in the 9-12th Placement section and a matchup with United Koreans In Japan on Thursday. An end to end first half ended with Abkhazia one goal ahead, however the second period saw the Georgian’s run away with the contest, and it means Tamil Eelam now go into the 13th-16th Placement section and have a match against Tuvalu on Thursday.
Tuvalu 0 United Koreans In Japan 5
United Koreans In Japan hit five as they went into the 9th-12th Placement section of the competition with victory of minnows Tuvalu. It means the Korean’s will face 2016 holders Abkhazia on Thursday whilst Tuvalu face Tamil Eelam in the 13th-16th Placement section.
Kabylia are though to take on Tibet in the 9th-12 Placement Games section after they won on penalties to defeat Matabeleland. An even start to the game saw both teams going for it early on, but this soon made way for a midfield battle in what was becoming a tense affair. Kabylia then lost their keeper to injury, before some intense pressure by Kabylia was met by decent Matebeleland defending. Both teams were putting in battling performances, and Matabeleland thought they had taken the lead, but it was ruled offside, and in meant the half finished goalless. The first attack of the second half at Enfield came from Matebeleland, and as the half went on things were getting heated between the sides, before Kabylia came close from a free kick on the edge of the area. However, neither side could find a breakthrough, meaning penalties, which saw Kabylia triumph 4-3 and take the win. Matabeleland go into the 13th-16 placement section and will be awarded a 3-0 win after Ellan Vannin pulled out.
Tamil Eelam 0 Abkhazia 6
Holders Abkhazia netted five second half goals to see off Tamil Eelam to take their place in the 9-12th Placement section and a matchup with United Koreans In Japan on Thursday. An end to end first half ended with Abkhazia one goal ahead, however the second period saw the Georgian’s run away with the contest, and it means Tamil Eelam now go into the 13th-16th Placement section and have a match against Tuvalu on Thursday.
Tuvalu 0 United Koreans In Japan 5
United Koreans In Japan hit five as they went into the 9th-12th Placement section of the competition with victory of minnows Tuvalu. It means the Korean’s will face 2016 holders Abkhazia on Thursday whilst Tuvalu face Tamil Eelam in the 13th-16th Placement section.
Here are some photos of today's Placement Quarter Finals, courtesy of
@CONIFAOfficial :-
So Wednesday sees
another rest day for the sides before they come back again on Thursday to
compete once again, here are Thursday fixtures:-
Semi-Finals
Northern Cyprus vs Padania (Colston Avenue Football Stadium, Carshalton Athletic FC, 5pm)
Karpatalya vs Szekeley Land (Colston Avenue Football Stadium, Carshalton Athletic FC, 8pm)
5th – 8th
Placement Semi Finals
Barawa vs Panjab (Gander
Green Lane, Sutton United FC, 3pm)
Cascadia vs Western Armenia (Hayes Lane, Bromley FC, 3pm)
9th – 12th
Placement Semi-Finals
Tibet vs Kabylia (Queen
Elizabeth II Stadium, Enfield Town FC, 12pm)
Abkhazia vs United Koreans In Japan (Hayes Lane, Bromley FC, 12pm)
13th – 16th
Placement Semi-Finals
Ellan Vannin P-P Matabeleland (tie awarded to Matebeleland after Ellan Vannin pulled out, Matabeleland
will still play though in a friendly against Chagos Island at Aveley FC’s
Parkside at 12pm, again so the fans can see a game and the African side can
also play another game.)
Tamil Eelam vs Tuvalu (Gander
Green Lane, Sutton United FC, 12pm)
So that completes Match Day Four, I’ll be back with a blog
on Match Day Five sometime on Friday, the final rest day before the finale on
Saturday. I will be attending the second
semi final at Carshalton on Thursday so looking forward to that too. There’s more drama to come that’s for sure!!!
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