By Andrew Warshaw
March 23 – The new leader of African football held a senior political role at the time he was elected last week, throwing into question whether FIFA should have allowed him to stand against Issa Hayatou.
March 23 – Palestinian and Israeli football officials were involved in “heated” talks on Wednesday as Tokyo Sexwale (pictured centre), FIFA’s main Middle East negotiator, finally presented his long awaited draft report on the dispute over Israeli clubs based in the occupied territories and other festering issues in the region.
March 20 – The head of Palestine Football Association (PFA) Jibril Rajoub has re-iterated that he will not agree to any further compromises if FIFA continues to drag its feet over the festering dispute regarding Israeli conduct in Middle East football.
March 17 – The swathe of redundancies at FIFA’s once trumpeted but increasingly troubled museum in Zurich shows no sign of diminishing. After eight employees were dismissed at the beginning of the year, the management is now getting rid of another 36, according to Swiss reports.
By Samindra Kunti
March 16 – The draw for the U20 2017 FIFA World Cup South Korea has paired arch rivals England and Argentina in the group stages. The participants in the finals today found out their group opponents as the 24 balls were drawn in a ceremony in Suwon.
March 16 – FIFA is reviewing both payment and pension arrangements for members of its new-look ruling Council as part of the organisation’s cost-cutting policy, according to an AP report.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 14 – Several months after upholding a six-year ban on Sepp Blatter, bringing an inglorious end to the colourful and controversial career of the former FIFA president, the Court of Arbitration has rubbed salt in his wounds with an unwanted belated 81st birthday present.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 13 – Russian commentators and former football chiefs have reacted with outrage at Vitaly Mutko being barred from standing for re-election to FIFA’s ruling council.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 10 – Russia’s under-fire World Cup supremo Vitaly Mutko, one of the most powerful figures in world sport, has been sensationally barred from seeking re-election to FIFA’s ruling Council.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 10 – Gianni Infantino painted a picture of total harmony when the curtain came down this week on FIFA’s talk shops with member federations, dubbed “executive summits”, that have been held in six venues across the world over the past few months.
By Paul Nicholson
March 9 – Musa Bility, the Liberian FA (LFA) president accused of corruption by a former LFA executive committee member, has struck back with his own letter to FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura refuting the allegations and saying he has instructed his lawyers to take action against the LFA whistleblower.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 9 – Donald Trump’s controversial immigration policies could potentially undermine a United States bid for the 2026 World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino warned today.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 8 – With only a month to go before Europe elects its representatives on FIFA’s ruling Council, there is still no word as to whether under-fire Russian World Cup supremo Vitaly Mutko will be eligible to join the all-powerful, decision-making body.
By Samindra Kunti
March 7 – Senegal and South Africa have completed the line-up of the U20 2017 FIFA World Cup in South Korea after advancing to the semi-finals of the U20 CAF African Cup of Nations.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 6 – Moya Dodd, one of the first women to serve on FIFA’s ‘old’ executive committee as a co-opted member and a forceful campaigner for gender equality, is two months away from finding out whether she will still have a major role to play at FIFA’s top table.