Australian Tyson Scott amongst the five candidates selected for the New AFC Scholarship scheme

Staff Writer01/10/2019 5:00 am30/09/2019

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CIES have joined forces to create a new scholarship scheme to generously offer five young professionals the chance to study on the International MA in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport, better known as the FIFA Master which is spread across three prestigious universities in Europe.
This scholarship scheme was successfully implemented for the first time this year and five lucky beneficiaries will start their FIFA Master 20th edition journey on 17th September at De Montfort University in Leicester, England, for a 3-month module on the Humanities of Sport at the university’s renowned International Centre for Sports History and Culture (Kevin Goco, Philippines; Rishab Kapur, India; Mahmoud Qaraqra, Palestine; Tyson Scott, Australia; Han Bits Yi, South Korea).

Australian Tyson Scott amongst the five candidates selected

In January, the class will then move to Italy to study Sports Management at Milan’s SDA Bocconi School of Management. Following the completion of this module, the class will finally transfer to Switzerland where they will be taught Sports Law at the University of Neuchâtel for the final module of the year.

The scholarships are part of the AFC’s commitment to enhance the capability of staff from the AFC’s Member Associations and were announced by the AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa at the 28th AFC Congress in Kuala Lumpur last October.

Shaikh Salman said: “The AFC is determined to raise standards in the game across Asia and that includes those who work so tirelessly off the field as well as those who compete on the pitch. Not only does Asia require outstanding players in the future but we also have a duty to deliver top class administrators.”

CIES is delighted to have joined forces with the AFC and as explained by CIES Director, Professor Denis Oswald, this new scholarship scheme “will ensure that more candidates will be able to participate in our programme which is excellent news as, sometimes, very good candidates cannot take the course because they are not in a position to fund their participation.”

The fruitful co-operation is set to continue as the AFC recently announced that five new scholarships will again be offered to Asian football staff keen to take part in the 21st edition of the Master.

The application process for the 21st edition (2020-2021) will open on October 1st, 2019 and will close in mid-January 2020.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

Patrick Irving16/04/2026 8:55 am16/04/2026

Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

Patrick Irving15/04/2026 6:05 am14/04/2026

Image credit: FC Union Berlin

In an historic appointment, Eta will take over as head coach of Union Berlin until the end of the season.

History in the making

Previously the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history with Union Berlin, Eta will now take the reigns of the men’s first team on an interim basis.

Currently, the club sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, but with only two wins so far in 2026, relegation appears an all-too-real prospect, and one which the club is desperate to avoid.

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta via official media release.

‘I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations.”

Eta will begin as Union’s new head coach with immediate effect, and will be in the dugout for the club’s matchup against Wolfsburg this weekend.

A step into an equal future

Eta’s appointment signals a major step towards a more level playing field in the football landscape.

Furthermore, Eta joins other coaches including Sabrinna Wittmann, Hannah Dingley and Corinne Diacre who, in recent years, have blazed a trail for female coaches to step into the men’s game.

Wittmann currently manages FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s third division, and was the first female head coach in Germany’s top three divisions.

In 2023, Dingley became caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, and thus the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England.

Diacre, now head coach of France’s women’s national team, managed Ligue 2’s Clerment Foot between 2014 and 2017.

Final thoughts

The impact therefore, is that Eta’s appointment will show future generations of aspiring female coaches that men’s football is an equally viable and possible pathway as the women’s game.

The time is now to level the playing field.

And while it may be a short-term role, its effect on attitudes towards equality and fair opportunities in the game will hopefully resonate long after the season ends.