Rule-makers sing praises of ‘ABBA’ format for shoot-out tie-breakers
By Andrew Warshaw
March 6 – Football’s lawmakers are considering making penalty shootouts fairer by adopting the format used in tennis tiebreakers.
FIFA
Rules body accelerates VAR towards its debut at Russia World Cup 2018
By Andrew Warshaw
March 5 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has re-iterated that there is a realistic chance video replays will be used at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the most ground-breaking change in years in FIFA’s showpiece event.
FIFA takes mediation steps to resolve staff conflict
By Andrew Warshaw
March 3 – Buffeted by persistent reports of internal unrest, FIFA has put to work the independent external specialists engaged late last year to mediate in staff disputes.
Survey finds FIFA still has work to do to win fan trust
By Andrew Warshaw
March 3 – A majority of fans are still worried about corruption in football despite Gianni Infantino’s pledge when he took over as FIFA president a year ago that the crisis was over.
Argentinian chaos is a tale of corruption and FIFA presidential intrigue
By Paul Nicholson
March 2 – Argentinian football is in a mess and it doesn’t look to be clearing up despite the efforts of a FIFA normalisation committee parachuted in last July to take over the running of the federation and attempt to bring order to the chaos.
2018 and 2022 World Cup bid inspector Mayne-Nicholls to appeal ban at CAS
By Andrew Warshaw
March 2 – 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, is going to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in a last-ditch attempt to clear his name and overturn a three-year ban for seeking unpaid intern work in Qatar for relatives.
AFC calls on FIFA to urgently rule on Israel-Palestine dispute
By Andrew Warshaw
March 1 – Asian football’s governing body has urged FIFA to urgently resolve the festering dispute in the Middle East amid speculation that a call for Israel to be thrown out of world football will be revived in May.
FIFA bans Adamu for further two years over unnamed 2010 event conflict
By Andrew Warshaw
March 1 – Amos Adamu (pictured), one of Africa’s most notorious footballing figures, has been banned for a second time by FIFA’s Ethics Committee for unethical conduct, almost certainly bringing the curtain down on a career that has long been shrouded in controversy.
German power players Rummenigge and Grindel slam Infantino presidency
March 1 – German football supremos Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Reinhard Grindel have given a firm thumbs down to Gianni Infantino’s first year as FIFA president.
2026 World Cup bids: Morocco to join with Spain and Portugal?
March 1 – Morocco is reportedly considering a new strategy to challenge north America for the 2026 World Cup, almost certainly the first edition to involve 48 teams.
FIFA bosses fire African development staff but fail to meet their severance payments
By Paul Nicholson
February 28 – FIFA’s firing of all its development staff across Africa and the closing of offices in four countries was met with a barrage of criticism within the region last December. Now the governing body of world football is facing a series of legal challenges from former employees to whom it has allegedly refused to make severance payments in accordance with national law.
Former SAFA chief Sedibe demands $5m from FIFA for defamation from match-fixing ban
By Andrew Warshaw
February 28 – I’ll see you in court if necessary. That is the defiant message issued to FIFA by former South African Football Association (SAFA) CEO Leslie Sedibe (pictured) who has served world football’s governing body with a claim for $5 million for defamation of character after being banned for five years over the 2010 matchfixing scandal along with three other SAFA officials.
Ceferin warns Trump’s US border policy would prevent 2026 World Cup hosting
February 28 – UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin says Donald Trump’s immigration policies could potentially work against the United States in their bid to stage the 2026 World Cup.
Former FIFA boss Valcke appeals his 10-year ban at CAS
By Andrew Warshaw
February 28 – Jerome Valcke (pictured), former number two to Sepp Blatter who spectacularly fell from grace after spending years as the organisation’s go-to troubleshooter, is taking his 10-year ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Infantino at 1. Are the Ethics bigwigs the next stop on his personal ‘reform’ agenda?
By Andrew Warshaw
February 27 – Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Some might suggest that in Gianni Infantino’s case they have actually got worse.