By Paul Nicholson
June 14 – The dispute in Spain over how much tax was payable on the transfer of Neymar from Santos in Brazil to FC Barcelona in 2013 appears to have been resolved with the club agreeing to pay a €5.5 million fine.
By Paul Nicholson
June 10 – A fresh row has broken out in the Caribbean over what is being interpreted by national associations as back-door interference in the region’s affairs by regional confederation CONCACAF. The moves further undermine the management of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) and its executive at a time when it has already seen its power base at the region’s top political table eroded and its membership split and marginalised.
June 10 – Kosovo and Gibraltar, both accepted into the FIFA fold last month, have as expected been fast-tracked into the 2018 World Cup qualifying programme that kicks off in September.
June 9 – Momentum is gathering behind Slovenian FA president Aleksander Čeferin in his bid to become president of UEFA. The Estonian FA have announced that they would support his candidacy. Čeferin has still to admit his official nomination but that now only looks to be a formality.
By Paul Nicholson
June 8 – The race for the UEFA presidency looks certain to have a new candidate with Slovenian FA president Aleksander Čeferin expected to submit his nomination within the next 48 hours.
By Paul Nicholson
June 8 – The Copa America Centenario sparked into life last night at Chicago’s Soldier Field with hosts USA thrashing Costa Rica 4-0 in the first of the second round of group games.
By Samindra Kunti
June 8 – Not everything is rosy in the corruption-free garden of the US-hosted centenary edition of the Copa America. President of the Uruguayan FA Wilmar Valdez has claimed it was a mistake for the USA to host the tournament.
June 8 – One of Africa’s football legends, Nigerian Stephen Keshi, has died suddenly at the age of 54. Keshi is one of only two people to win the Africa Cup of Nations as a player and a coach.
By Andrew Warshaw
June 7 – As tension mounts ahead of Euro 2016, both on and off the pitch, Paris’ police chief promised he would be receiving thousands of reinforcements and that his force was as prepared as it could be to face the threat of terrorist activity.
By Paul Nicholson
June 7 – Brazil and Barcelona striker Neymar faces his second prosecution this year for tax evasion. Having been convicted of tax fraud and ordered to pay €45.9 million in fines and back-taxes in March in Brazil, now Spanish prosecutors want him to go trial in their country.
By Paul Nicholson
June 6 – Serie A giants Inter Milan have completed the sale of a 69% stake in the club to Chinese retail giants Suning Holdings Group, one of the three largest Chinese non-state owned enterprises with close to $50 billion in annual sales.
By Paul Nicholson
June 6 – The dispute between the world beating US Women’s national team and the US Soccer Federation over the women’s demands for equal pay for representing their country – they generally earn between 62% and 25% less per match than their male counterparts – took a controversial turn in a Chicago court when a judge ruled they could not take strike action.
By Paul Nicholson
June 3 – The much-anticipated and often troublesome Copa America Centenario kicks off Saturday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, with the US hosts facing Colombia. The opening match has the potential to spark what could be a celebration of sparkling football which will be in stark contrast (and a relief from) the dark areas of football corruption that this tournament has brought into the light.
By Samindra Kunti
June 3 – Belgium may be one of the favorites to win Euro2016, but the Belgian FA, the KBVB, has been suffering from a €4.5 million loss since the 2014 World Cup.
By Paul Nicholson
June 2 – Angel Maria Villar Llona, the controversial president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and current interim president at UEFA, has been summoned to appear in court in Spain in July charged with deliberately delaying presidential elections at the RFEF.