By Andrew Warshaw
July 14 – Harold Mayne-Nicholls, the FIFA-appointed official who led the inspection team that evaluated the credentials of all 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding candidates, is free to resume his career in football after the Court of Arbitration for Sport cut his ban for seeking unpaid intern work in Qatar for relatives to two years.
By Paul Nicholson
July 13 – FIFA has wriggled out of responsibility to enable it to continue to support an unelected president of a national federation, claiming it is not the “competent” authority to enforce the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) that Tombi A Roko Sidiki is unlawfully holding the position of Cameroon FA (Fecafoot) president.
By Paul Nicholson
July 14 – Controversial Liberian FA president Musa Bility (pictured), a member of the Confederation of African Football executive committee, is under renewed allegations from stakeholders in his own federation who claim that he is “embezzling” funds from the federation and FIFA grant money.
July 12 – French international forward Karim Benzema has won a crucial ruling in his bid to clear his name in a long-running sex tape scandal.
July 11 – The Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) have announced session detail and speakers for their Sport Integrity Forum in Lisbon, Portugal on July 26.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 7 – If circumstances had panned out differently, Michel Platini could now be running FIFA. Instead, the three-time European Footballer of the Year, who rose to become UEFA president, is now well and truly yesterday’s man after his final appeal against his four-year ban for financial wrongdoing was thrown out by Switzerland’s supreme court.
July 7 – The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) is developing predictive software technology for use in securing future major sports events. Combined with the use of smart data systems, the software is targeted to be used as part of big event safety and security planning.
July 6 – Fierce adversaries on and off the pitch, it is little surprise that Scottish champions Celtic have waded into the tax avoidance case surrounding Glasgow rivals Rangers.
July 6 – The pain and anguish of a disputed penalty awarded deep into injury time were too much for fans and officials of China League One side Baoding Rongda. The match officials were attacked by fans and officials on Saturday, whilst a tearful Chairman told the press in a post-match interview the club would be withdrawn from the league.
By Mark Baber
July 5 – Whilst on the pitch Tanzania are playing Zambia this evening in the COSAFA semi-finals, off the pitch the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) has been thrown into chaos by last week’s arrest of its president Jamal Malinzi (pictured), secretary general Mwesiga Celestine and accountant Ms Nsiande Mwanga on corruption allegations.
July 5 – Sports law association Rex Sport has joined with the CEU Cardinal Herrera University in Valencia, Spain, to launch an Online Master in International Sports Law.
July 5 – Diego Maradona is at it again, stirring up controversy with outlandish comments and prompting all manner of media headlines.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 4 – Fresh revelations by the German news magazine Der Spiegel have added another layer of intrigue over whether FIFA president Gianni Infantino was under renewed investigation at the time both of FIFA’s two main ethics bosses were relieved of their duties in May.
By Paul Nicholson
July 4 – Bruce Blake, First Vice President of the Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA) and a Caribbean Football Union (CFU) executive committee member, has denied at any time receiving any ‘secret’ commission or engaging in any money laundering activity.
By Paul Nicholson
July 3 – The Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA) has been hit by further scandal with the arrest of First Vice-President Bruce Blake (pictured) by the Cayman Islands Anti-Corruption Commission. A second Cayman Island football official is believed to have been arrested but no names have been released.