By Andrew Warshaw
July 27 – Morocco have decided to gamble once again and take on the joint might of north America and Mexico in a bid to host the 2026 World Cup, according to leading Confederation of African Football (CAF) official Amaju Pinnick.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 21 – Harold Mayne-Nicholls, the FIFA-appointed official who led the inspection team that evaluated the credentials of all 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding candidates, has emerged from his prolonged silence with all guns blazing to launch a blistering attack on those he says turned his life into a “nightmare”.
By Paul Nicholson
July 17 – FIFA has written to Cameroon club Etoile Filante to emphasise that its Disciplinary Committee has not yet ruled on the complaint that a Court of Aribitration for Sport (CAS) decision that would immediately suspend Cameroon FA (Fecafoot) president Tombi A Roko Sidiki was not being followed.
By Paul Nicholson
July 13 – FIFA has wriggled out of responsibility to enable it to continue to support an unelected president of a national federation, claiming it is not the “competent” authority to enforce the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) that Tombi A Roko Sidiki is unlawfully holding the position of Cameroon FA (Fecafoot) president.
By Paul Nicholson
July 14 – Controversial Liberian FA president Musa Bility (pictured), a member of the Confederation of African Football executive committee, is under renewed allegations from stakeholders in his own federation who claim that he is “embezzling” funds from the federation and FIFA grant money.
July 11 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino, whose first act in his new job 18 months ago was to host a star-studded Legends match at his new office in Zurich, something of a vanity project, organised a similar event last week after inviting some of the world’s finest ex-players (and one of two present ones) to dust off their boots for an exhibition game in his home town of Brig.
July 10 – With the World Cup in Russia less than a year away, one of FIFA’s top front-line sponsors, McDonald’s, have been in discussions about a possible withdrawal due to ethical concerns.
July 10 – FIFA has suspended the Sudan Football Association (SFA) with immediate effect after the government refused to reinstate FIFA-recognised SFA president Dr Mutasim Gaafar ahead of the Sudan Ministry of Justice recognised General Abdel Rahman Sir Elkatim.
By Paul Nicholson
July 7 – USA, Canada and Mexico have officially formed a United Bid Committee for their joint pitch to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup. With the deadline for the submission of the formal bid to FIFA being 16 March 2018, the Bid Committee will begin discussion with potential host cities and stakeholders immediately.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 4 – Fresh revelations by the German news magazine Der Spiegel have added another layer of intrigue over whether FIFA president Gianni Infantino was under renewed investigation at the time both of FIFA’s two main ethics bosses were relieved of their duties in May.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 3 – The future of football or an expensive counter-productive exercise? The jury seems very much to still be out when it comes to video technology following the conclusion of the Confederations Cup.
By Samindra Kunti in St Petersburg
July 3 – Gianni Infantino praised Russia for its staging of the Confederations Cup, but doping allegations cast a shadow over the tournament’s end. The FIFA president vowed that Russia will face disciplinary proceedings if the doping allegations surrounding their team at the 2014 World Cup are proven.
By Mark Baber
July 3 – Sudan has managed to escape a FIFA ban, which had been due to go into force on Friday, after a last-minute deal was reached between feuding factions competing for control of the Sudan Football Association.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 3 – Defiant as ever, Sepp Blatter says he will travel to Russia for next year’s World Cup despite serving a six-year ban from all football-related activities imposed by FIFA’s ethics committee.
By Samindra Kunti
June 30 – Germany and Chile will play the final of the 2017 Confederations this Sunday after eliminating Mexico and Portugal respectively in the semi-finals. For a tournament that was met with scepticism and supposedly fading interest, FIFA is reporting positive TV audiences for the group stages.