EA Sports’ FIFA franchise delivers a 31% revenue bump as license comes to an end
May 12 – EA Sports FIFA video game, in the last season of its license of the FIFA name, has delivered a huge bonus for the gaming giant.
Doping
FIFA cleared suspected Russian dopers to play in 2018 World Cup
November 26 – FIFA gave the go-ahead for two Russian players to take part in the World Cup even though the Russian Football Union (RFU) had listed them as suspected dopers, according to email exchanges in the latest information provided by the Football Leaks website and widely reported over the weekend.
Did doping regulator just fail its own test on Man City?
February 17 – Eyebrows have been raised at the leniency of a £35,000 fine meted out by cash-rich English Premier League club Manchester City for breaching anti-doping rules.
Man City looking like dopes as FA drug testers hunt for their players
January 12 – Manchester City have been charged by the Football Association for failing to ensure that anti-doping officials knew where their players were for random drugs testing.
Doping report casts darkening shadow over Russia’s World Cup credentials
December 9 – Russia’s staging of the 2018 World Cup has been plunged back into fresh controversy following today’s damning report that suggests more than 1,000 Russian sportsmen and women – including Olympic medallists – benefited from a state-sponsored programme across 30 sports – including football.
Drug busts: Iran tops Brazil in football table of anti-doping rule violations
By David Owen
April 29 – Iranians have taken over from Brazilians as the worst football offenders in a new report on anti-doping rule violations in the World Cup year of 2014 compiled by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).