Japan looks poised to pull plug on Club World Cup hosting in December
September 9 – Japan is considering withdrawing as hosts of the Club World Cup, according to media reports.
FIFA
FIFA probe Brazilian and Argentine FA’s over abandoned qualifier
September 8 – FIFA has confirmed it has opened disciplinary proceedings against Brazil’s and Argentina’s Football Associations following the farcical scenes that led to their eagerly anticipated World Cup qualifying clash being suspended after just five minutes when Brazilian health officials stormed the pitch to question the quarantine status of certain players.
Brazil want sanctions, ECA says FIFA should go easy on clubs for not releasing players
September 8 – The six English Premier League clubs who refused to release players for Brazil’s World Cup qualifiers should be told – and fast – if they will be suspended by FIFA, says European Clubs’ Association chief executive Charlie Marshall.
Former US World Cup winner Ellis joins FIFA’s advisory panel
September 6 – FIFA has hired Jill Ellis to lead a technical advisory group on the future of women’s football, the global governing body announced on Sunday.
Ceferin wary of FIFA’s PR push on biennual World Cup that would rip up global calendar
September 6 – FIFA’s latest calendar proposal, a biennial World Cup, faces opposition from UEFA with the president of the European confederation Aleksander Ceferin having “grave concerns” over the proposal.
FIFA’s Wenger pushes biannual World Cup and a brave new world calendar
By Samindra Kunti
September 3 – FIFA director of development Arsene Wenger has again beaten the drum for Gianni Infantino’s latest calendar project, a biannual World Cup, claiming that those plans will benefit both the club and international game with less matches and higher quality tournaments.
Infantino builds advisory team skill sets with return of Cordeiro to world football
September 3 – World governing body FIFA have appointed former US Soccer chief Carlos Cordeiro as a senior advisor for the organization’s global strategy and governance.
Hungarian racism blights Qatar 2022 qualifier as critics hammer FIFA for letting it happen
September 3 – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called on FIFA to take action over the “disgraceful” racist abuse meted out to England players by Hungary fans during Thursday night’s World Cup qualifier.
Al-Sabah linked to FifaGate probe as Geneva trial over Kuwaiti political plot continues
September 3 – Olympic powerbroker Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah, once a major player at FIFA, has once again been implicated in the FifaGate scandal that has snared a succession of high-profile figures.
Four Asian nations unite to send support for FIFA’s biannual World Cup push
By Samindra Kunti
September 1 – Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bangladesh have thrown their weight behind plans for a biennial World Cup, becoming the first member associations from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to do so in a significant boost to Gianni Infantino’s pet project.
Club vs country: Argentina say they will not release Euro-based players back to clubs early
September 2 – Argentina says it will defy the wishes of English Premier League clubs and hold on to its English-based players for all three of its upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
CAS orders LaLiga clubs to release Conmebol players for extra 2 days of 2022 qualifiers
August 31 – La Liga has been forced to release international players for next month’s South American World Cup qualifiers following a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
CAS clears Bajrami for immediate switch from Swiss to Albanian nationality
August 31 – The Albanian football federation has won a potentially landmark case against FIFA in court, proving that Big Brother doesn’t always succeed.
French league adds critical voice to concern over FIFA player release demands
August 27 – The French league has become the latest major European body to voice concern over FIFA’s World Cup qualifying plans in September. The Professional Football League (LFP) however has not expressly backed clubs who refuse to release players for the international window.
Gianni asks Boris for special case quarantine rules for ‘red-country’ players
By Andrew Warshaw
August 26 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has personally intervened to try and end the club versus country spat that is seriously undermining next month’s international programme, but his appeal looks unlikely to be granted.