India planning bids for Club World Cup and Under-17 World Cup
By Duncan Mackay
March 10 – India is planning to bid for the 2015 Club World Cup and the Under-17 World Cup in 2017, it has been revealed.
Asia
AFC President Jilong thanks IFAB for lifting hijab ban
By Andrew Warshaw
March 5 – Zhang Jilong (pictured), the Chinese acting President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), has welcomed the decision by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to unanimously endorse lifting the ban on women footballers wearing the Islamic headscarf.
Match fixing is a huge issue that needs to be tackled, warns Prince Ali
By Andrew Warshaw in London
March 3 – Asian football supremo Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein (pictured) has reiterated the dangers of match fixing following the suspicious World Cup qualifier between Indonesia and Bahrain on Wednesday.
FIFA launch investigation into Bahrain’s 10-0 World Cup qualifier win
By Andrew Warshaw
March 1 – FIFA have launched a “routine” investigation into Bahrain’s astonishing 10-0 victory over a weakened Indonesia team in a crucial World Cup qualifier on Wednesday.
South Korea drop K-League Cup in war against match fixing
By David Gold
February 28 – South Korea has dropped the K-League Cup in a bid to clamp down on match fixing in the wake of last year’s scandal.
South Korea promises crack down on match fixing criminals
By Andrew Warshaw
February 22 – South Korea is pledging to crack down even more forcefully on match fixing, including harsh prison terms, as a reaction to a number of incidents that have plunged the country’s football league into crisis.
Date set for Bin Hammam CAS hearing
By Andrew Warshaw in Doha
February 20 – Former Asian football chief Mohamed Bin Hammam’s eagerly-awaited appeal against his lifetime ban for alleged bribery will be heard on April 18 and 19 at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne.
Former Chelsea manager angry after Iranians cancel friendly because he is Israeli
By David Gold
February 20 – Partizan Belgrade coach Avram Grant (pictured right) has claimed that Iranian team Sepahan Ishafan have cancelled a friendly with his team because he is Israeli.
Real Madrid to open four soccer schools in Kurdistan
By David Gold
February 20 – Spanish giants Real Madrid have signed an agreement with the Iraqi Sports Ministry to create four football academies in the Kurdistan province.
Qatar appoint Brazilian as new coach
By Andrew Warshaw in Doha
February 19 – Qatar’s determination to be taken seriously as a football nation has resulted in the appointment of a fourth national coach in just over a year as 55-year-old Brazilian Paulo Autuori became the latest figure to try and take the tiny Gulf state to its first ever World Cup.
Australia draw Japan in first AFC Under-22 Asian Cup
By David Gold
February 16 – Regional powers Australia and Japan have been pitted together in the qualifying round of the inaugural Under-22 Asian Cup following the draw at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) House in Kuala Lumpur.
CAS to determine Persipura’s Asian Champions League participation
By David Gold
February 11 – Uncertainty surrounds an Asian Champions League qualifier between Adelaide United of Australia and Indonesia’s Persipura, who were reinstated in the competition by a provisional Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) judgement.
China’s Zhang Jilong wants permanent role as head of AFC
By Andrew Warshaw
February 10 – The acting head of Asian football, China’s Zhang Jilong (pictured), has revealed for the first time that he would like the post on a permanent basis after replacing the suspended Mohamed Bin Hammam.
World Cup organiser appointed new head of communications for Baku 2020
By Duncan Mackay
February 8 – Baku 2020 has appointed Elkhan Mammadov, the general secretary of the Azerbaijani Football Association (AFFA), as its new head of communications for its bid to host the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.
Over $20 million spent at Indian football auction
By David Gold
January 31 – India’s Premier League Soccer (PLS) has held an auction in Calcutta, in which almost $21 million (£13 million/€16 million) was spent by franchises on the likes of 2006 World Cup winning captain Fabio Cannavaro and former France midfielder Robert Pirès.