July 30 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has departed the Women’s World Cup to tour the Pacific, prompting criticism after he had called for the women’s tournament to be shown the same respect as the men’s competition.
July 25 – FIFA’s last minute sponsorship with Booking.com has sparked anger amongst small hotels and accommodation hosts, thousands of whom had gone unpaid worldwide for more than six weeks when the sponsorship deal was announced.
July 26 – The Football Forum (TFF) – an association of national football agent bodies – has said that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling against the Professional Football Agents Association’s (PROFAA) challenge of FIFA’s new Football Agents Regulations (FAR), does not apply to their members.
By Samindra Kunti in Auckland
July 26 – Indigenous Football Australia (IFA) have written to FIFA and Football Australia, slamming their “empty symbolism” of Indigenous imagery at the Women’s World Cup. FIFA, however, say work is being done on space for indigenous football.
July 25 – FIFA have won the latest ruling in an international fight by player agents to block rules that would regulate their industry and cap their fees.
July 24 – FIFA has said that despite difficulties in concluding broadcast contracts, they nevertheless provide a “strong global platform” for the Women’s World Cup.
July 21 – Senegal’s Pape Gueye, or his new club Olympique Marseilles, have been ordered to pay £2.3 million in compensation to Watford for breach of contract.
July 21 – With the Women’s World Cup now into its second day, the governing body is reporting that it has sold all its sponsorship packages.
July 21 – Concacaf Gold Cup winners Mexico have moved up FIFA World Ranking to 12th place, one behind the USA in 11th.
By Samindra Kunti in Auckland
July 20 – Australians once described football as a game for Sheilas, Wogs and Poofters but from Thursday on they will co-host, alongside New Zealand, the sport’s premier women’s tournament with more finalists than ever vying for the global crown in a World Cup that FIFA boss Gianni Infantino believes will win over the sceptics, even if pay disputes and prize money inequality shroud the month-long football festival.
July 20 – A day before the official kick off of the Women’s World Cup, FIFA has announced Booking.com as the 2023 tournament’s Official Online Travel Sponsor.
July 19 – On the eve of the Women’s World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has called on New Zealanders to buy into the tournament and get their tickets for the 32-team finals. Slow ticket sales have raised the spectre of empty seats in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Dunedin.
July 13 – For the second straight World Cup, Manchester City have topped the list of FIFA payments to clubs who released players for the tournament in Qatar.
July 13 – Hard on the heels of UEFA’s Unity Euro Cup for refugees that has just completed in Frankfurt, FIFA have announced their own support for displaced communities via a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with Filipino Grandi, the UN high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR).
July 11 – FIFA have completed a workshop in Dubai for member associations from central and south Asia in a further rollout of their 3.0 Forward Progamme.