By Mark Baber
August 2 – Nike has extended its apparel sponsorship deal with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) till 2017 whilst the AIFF continues its moves towards the creation of an IMG-Reliance League to run separately to the I-League.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 1 – Three months after being well beaten in his campaign to become the new leader of Asian football, FIFA vice-president Worawi Makudi insists he was promised support which never materialised.
By Mark Baber
August 1 – Hashem Haidar was elected to his fourth term as head of the Lebanese Football Federation on Wednesday, winning votes from 49 of the 50 clubs attending. Haiddar’s electoral list, which included 10 other members was elected unopposed so Raymond Semaan will retain his position as first deputy president and Ahmad Qameradine as second deputy.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 1 – The Korean Football Association (KFA) has defended its supporters for unfurling a politically charged banner in last Sunday’s East Asian Cup final against Japan which prompted a diplomatic spat between the two nations – and says Japan should shoulder some of the blame.
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
July 31 – After weeks of negative publicity about his role as head of Thai football and his international image, embattled FIFA vice-president Worawi Makudi has come out fighting to defend his conduct and counter what he claims are untruths circulated by his opponents.
July 30 – Asian Football Confederation vice-president Moya Dodd has vowed to work for the development of the game in the continent in her additional role as the co-opted member of the FIFA executive committee. Dodd, who finished runner-up in the historic three-way battle for an elected women’s seat at the FIFA Congress in May, instead gained a one-year co-opted role.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 30 – Japan has lodged a protest with the East Asian Football Federation demanding an investigation into an inflammatory banner displayed by South Korean fans at the East Asian Cup final in Seoul.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 29 – The domestic election crisis that is understood to have prevented acting Thai football federation (FAT) president and FIFA executive committee member Worawi Makudi from attending the recent Asian Football Confederation executive meeting has taken yet another twist.
By Mark Baber
July 26 – With English Premier League clubs in Hong Kong for its pre-season Asia Cup, Hong Kong Football Association chairman Brian Leung Hung-tak appealed to local authorities to relax betting rules to allow more top-quality matches into the market and boost the game in the country.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 26 – FIFA vice-president Worawi Makudi, embroiled in an internal dispute in his native Thailand, was forced to miss last week’s Asian Football Confederation summit in Bahrain citing unexplained other commitments, Insideworldfootball has learned.
By Mark Baber
July 25 – Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia and the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) have agreed a S$1.8 million ($1.4 million) sponsorship deal, including the cost of flights for the under-21, under-23 and senior national teams, as well as the National Football Academy’s age-group teams and women’s teams.
July 23 – The Asian Football Development Project (AFDP), chaired by FIFA vice-president Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein (pictured), is stepping up its support of the grass-roots game in less established footballing nations by targeting Tajikistan, with special emphasis on advancing girls’ football.
By Paul Nicholson
July 23 – The Asian Football Confederation has announced plans to create its own Ethics Committee that it expects will be operational by January 2014. An initiative of new AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, he said he hoped that the committee will help fight AFC corruption at all levels.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 18 – The Lebanese referee jailed for six months after pleading guilty to accepting sexual favours in exchange for match-fixing has been back in court to give evidence in the trial of a Singaporean businessman accused of being behind the affair.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 17 – Leading football clubs in India have hit out against moves to stage a rival tournament to the national league inspired by cricket’s cash-rich IPL that attracts top international names.