By Andrew Warshaw in Paris
June 6 – Everything seemed to be running so smoothly for the FIFA administration. A trouble-free election victory for Gianni Infantino, the shortest of Congresses, a first ever women’s football convention extolling the sporting virtues of female players and the eagerly anticipated opening of the Women’s World Cup.
By Andrew Warshaw in Paris
June 6 – Amid uproar, chaos and allegations of bias and mismanagement, the image of African football administration has once again descended into farce after its executive ordered a replay on neutral ground of the controversial African Champions League final second leg between Esperance of Tunisia and Wydad Casablanca of Morocco.
June 6 – The next few weeks are exciting ones for Concacaf. The Women’s World Cup in France sees the US defends its crown, and in just over a week the confederation’s expanded blue riband men’s national team event, the Gold Cup, kicks off at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles.
June 6 – Brazil’s Neymar remains in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. On Wednesday he limped off the field in a 2-0 warm-up win over Qatar with a ligament injury that will keep him out of the Copa America on home soil.
June 6 – Ugly scenes between a minority of England fans and Portuguese police marred the Nations League semi-final in Guimaraes, tarnishing the image of travelling England fans once more. The Football Association has condemned the fans involved as “an embarrassment”.
June 6 – A potentially pivotal two-day summit of Europe’s leading clubs to discuss controversial proposals to revamp the Champions League has been plunged into disarray with the Spanish and English both openly rebelling against the plans.
June 6 – Concacaf have announced plans for the development of the women’s game in its region – under the Concacaf W moniker – with the objective of providing every girl in their confederation footprint with an opportunity to play football.
By Andrew Warshaw in Paris
June 5 – No sooner had he been re-elected FIFA president for another four years than Gianni Infantino subjected himself to an hour of media scrutiny with his pet project, an expanded Club World Cup in 2021, top of the agenda.
June 5 – French President Emmanuel Macron has angered European football chiefs by wading into the debate over UEFA’s proposals to overhaul the Champions League in 2024.
Macron reportedly urged UEFA to abandon the concept during an opening event for the Women’s World Cup that begins Friday and was delivered in front of UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin.
By Samindra Kunti in Paris
June 4 – Alejandro Dominguez (pictured) reinforced his allegiance with Gianni Infantino FIFA Congress with Conmebol pledging to support the FIFA president’s re-election by acclamation.
June 5 – Lennart Johansson, the longest-serving president of UEFA and one of the great statesmen of European football who campaigned tirelessly for fair play on and off the field, has died at the age of 89.
By Andrew Warshaw in Paris
June 4 – Under-fire African football chief Ahmad, who unconfirmed reports say is under investigation by FIFA’s ethics gurus, today pleaded for unity among his colleagues with a rallying cry he clearly hoped would ward off mounting attacks on his presidency of FIFA’s largest confederation.
By Paul Nicholson in Paris
June 4 – After the revolution comes evolution. If no-one has ever coined that phrase then Concacaf should claim it because it aptly describes the regional confederation’s emergence from the dark days of May 2015 and the movement towards the light of new competitions, better governed operations and, perhaps most importantly, a return to international parity in the eyes of the rest of the world.
June 4 – FIFA has lifted Sierra Leone’s international ban following a meeting of the world governing body’s ruling council in Paris, allowing FA president Isha Johansen to attend the FIFA Congress here on Wednesday.
By Andrew Warshaw
June 3 – The image of African football, already tarnished by a series of FIFA bans of former senior officials and allegations surrounding current leader Ahmad Ahmad, suffered a damaging blow on the field Saturday when the showpiece final of the continent’s top club competition was sensationally abandoned after Wydad Casablanca of Morocco refused to continue in protest of VAR not being employed.