• David Owori, SC Villa captain

Uganda international footballer David Owori, captain of one of the country’s biggest soccer clubs, has died after an assault in the capital Kampala, police said.

Owori, 28, captain of ‌SC Villa, was critically injured by unidentified assailants in a suburb of Kampala on Tuesday, police spokesperson Racheal Kawala said.

He was found unconscious by passers-by, who took him to a nearby hospital.

He was transferred to another hospital where he was later pronounced ⁠dead, Kawala said.

“David was not just a footballer. He was both a leader and an inspiration to a generation. As Captain of SC Villa, he led with courage, humility and passion. In the Uganda Cranes jersey, he carried the hopes of a nation,” the Federation of Uganda Football Associations said in a statement.

•Gianni Infantino

President Gianni Infantino held emergency talks with other FIFA directors in Morocco on Wednesday, a source told AFP, amid a wave of criticism over his now-shelved plan to open the World Cup to private investment.

Infantino has come under increasing pressure, even from within FIFA, over his handling of the proposal, and calls for him to step down have grown since he abandoned it last Saturday.

One of those believed to be at the meeting is FIFA’s secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom, whose internal email to staff criticising the plan was leaked on Tuesday.

Infantino, a 56-year-old Swiss lawyer — who is holding the meeting in FIFA’s Africa regional office in Sale close to Rabat — was in Morocco to celebrate last week’s Feast of the Enthronement.

Morocco is to co-host the 2030 World Cup and Moroccan Football chief Fouzi Lekjaa is one of the few to have publicly supported Infantino since the humiliating climbdown.

In a related development, former Real Madrid and Barcelona star Luis Figo has called for “deceitful” Gianni Infantino to quit as pressure mounts on the under-fire FIFA president.

Infantino is fighting to save his job after a fierce backlash against his plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup.

The 56-year-old wanted to sell a 20 per cent stake in the World Cup to private equity investors through his FIFA Forward Enterprise.

The plan sparked a cascade of criticism for Infantino and has been rejected by three continental confederations, forcing the FIFA chief to ditch his divisive idea.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has assured that the state is ready to host this year’s CAF Awards.

Nigeria has previously hosted the CAF Awards on four occasions, with Lagos staging the most recent edition in January 2015.

The CAF team arrived in Nigeria last Thursday for an inspection of facilities being put forward by the country to host the organisation’s 48th Ordinary General Assembly and annual CAF Awards ceremony.

A five-man team from the Confederation of African Football inspected the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, popularly known as the National Theatre, the designated venue for the ceremony.

The team is led by former NFF presidential aspirant and CAF’s Head of Safety and Security, Dr Christian Emeruwa.

• Officials of the Lagos State Sports Commission, the Nigeria Football Federation and the Confederation of African Football during the inspection of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, Iganmu, Lagos, ahead of this year’s CAF Awards. Photo: Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

The delegation also included Mohammed Bakeer (Technology), Inas Ahmed (Travel and Accommodation), Salah Mostafa (Transport) and Hervé Dassoundo (Branding).

They were received by officials of the Lagos State Sports Commission, led by Director-General Lekan Fatodu, as they inspected the National Theatre on Monday.

Sanwo-Olu said the state was committed to ensuring that Lagos delivers a successful event.

“We guided them through the venue and gathered their feedback. Hosting an event of this scale means every single detail counts and our team is working hard behind the scenes to make sure we get it right,” the governor said in an X post on Monday.

” Lagos is ready and we look forward to putting on a brilliant show for African football.”