Brazilians top table of doping rules breakers
By David Owen
June 18 – Brazilians and Portuguese have emerged as the worst football offenders in a new report on anti-doping rule violations compiled by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
South America
Brazil 2014 legacy on shifting foundation as eight stadia struggle to survive
By Samindra Kunti
June 16 – The 2014 World Cup did not only bring tears to Brazil on the field, but a year later the tournament has left a questionable legacy.
Long shadow of Teixeira returns as Monaco account found with €30m
By Paul Nicholson
June 16 – Disgraced former Brazilian FA president and FIFA vice-president Ricardo Teixeira, being pursued in Brazil for money laundering and tax evasion, has been linked to payments from Qatar which have been found in a bank account in his name.
Zico eyes football’s top job, but only on his electoral terms
By Martina Farmbauer in Rio de Janeiro
June 12 – SPORT1 interviewed Brazilian football legend Zico about his intended candidature for the FIFA presidency and how he wants to clean up the world governing. But before he declares his to run he wants to see some “new rules of the game” in the election race.
CONMEBOL returns to football with Copa America kick off
By Samindra Kunti
June 12 – The 2015 Copa America began with a spectacular opening ceremony and a victory for the hosts Chile, but the tournament is taking place under a cloud amid corruption allegations against football administrators and politicians.
Brazilian clubs’ talk of breakaway league forces CBF to cede power
By Samindra Kunti
June 10 – Amid growing discontent with the Brazilian FA, some of Brazil’s leading clubs have revealed a desire to establish a breakaway league. The CBF has responded by proposing an amendement to its statutes, giving greater power to the clubs.
Corruption net tightens as TyC’s Burzaco hands himself in to Italian police
June 10 – The hunt for the missing sports marketing executives wanted for questioning by the FBI in the US in relation to alleged bribes to win and retain commercial and broadcast rights to major championships has flushed out one more, Alejandro Burzaco, who has handed himself in to police in Italy.
Brazilian pressure mounts on runaway president Del Nero
By Samindra Kunti
June 5 – CBF president Marco Polo Del Nero is expected to resign during an extraordinary general assembly next week as the crisis deepens in Brazilian football.
Military police swoop on Venezuelan FA HQ
By Mark Baber
June 5 – Following the arrest of its former president Rafael Esquivel in Switzerland, military intelligence raided the headquarters of the Federación Venezolana de Fútbol (FVF).
Leoz under house arrest as US seek 86 year old’s extradition
By Andrew Warshaw
June 2 – Former CONMEBOL powerbroker Nicolas Leoz has been placed under house arrest in his native Paraguay as the FIFA corruption scandal snares yet another alleged culprit.
Brazil’s Del Nero flees Zurich ahead of Congress
By Andrew Warshaw in Zurich
May 28 – The most dramatic election build-up in FIFA history has taken yet another unexpected twist when the head of Brazil’s national federation and a senior FIFA official fled Switzerland a few hours before the ballot.
Heart attack kills Argentinia’s Christian Gomez during match
May 26 – Football has been rocked by yet another tragic incident of a young player unexpectedly losing his life after collapsing during a game, this time in Argentina.
Brazilian clubs look to fan membership and ticket sales to drive revenue
By Samindra Kunti
May 25 – Brazilian top-flight clubs are moving away from a business model with TV rights as a main revenue stream, towards fan membership schemes and ticketing as now generating the bulk of the money. Major clubs Internacional and Cruzeiro highlight this evolution.
Have Brazil sold their football soul to Pitch and personal greed?
By Samindra Kunti
May 19 – In the vicinity of the iconic Arc de Triomphe in Paris’s affluent eighth district, football fans milled about the entrance of the ritzy Hotel du Collectioneur under a slight drizzle late in March. They were looking to get a glimpse of Brazil’s football stars. Chelsea’s Oscar briefly sauntered through the plush lobby, a little casual in his flip-flops. Heads turned and outside pandemonium ensued.
Boca dumped from Copa Libertadores after violence ends River Plate tie
May 18 – Argentine giants Boca Juniors have been thrown out of the Copa Libertadores, South America’s equivalent of the Champions League, after its fans sprayed players from rivals River Plate with an irritant substance during their last-16 tie last week.