AEK owner Melissanidis faces life ban and points deduction for club
By Paul Nicholson
April 7 – Controversial AEK Athens owner Dimitris Melissanidis has again hit the headlines in Greece where he could be facing a life ban from football.
Integrity
UEFA hands Kudela ‘token’ one match suspension for racist abuse ahead of full hearing
April 7 – Slavia Prague defender Ondrej Kudela, who was at the centre of a racism storm last month, has been provisionally suspended for one game by UEFA ahead of a full hearing.
Hertha Berlin sack coach over homophobic and anti-migrant views
April 7 – Bundesliga outfit Hertha Berlin have dismissed their goalkeeping coach Zsolt Petry over homophobic and anti-migrant comments that he made in an interview with Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet, citing that Petry’s values were incompatible with those of the club.
Penalty happy Serbian ref jailed on match-fixing charges
April 6 – A Serbian referee has been handed a 15-month prison sentence and banned from officiating in his country for 10 years after awarding two highly suspicious penalties, one of which was described as “scandalous” by the local media.
Valencia players walk off against Cádiz after Diakhaby racially abused
April 6 – Valencia’s La Liga fixture at Cádiz on Sunday was suspended for 20 minutes after the visitors walked off the pitch in solidarity with one of their players who said he was subjected to racist abuse.
Spurs demand social media firms act after Sanchez racially trolled after Newcastle game
April 6 – Tottenham Hotspur are the latest club to call on social media companies to do more to combat racist trolls after their Colombian defender Davinson Sanchez revealed abuse was directed at him following the club’s 2-2 draw with Newcastle at the weekend.
Woke(n) up: Man Utd launch SEE RED and whistleblower line; FareShare feeds 21,300+
April 3 – Manchester United have launched two Easter campaigns with compelling social action messages. Through its foundation and its co-operation with FareShare it will distribute 21,300 food hampers to families in Manchester. At the same time the club has continued its anti-discrimination campaign with the roll out of SEE RED.
Infantino buddies up with G20 anti-corruption working group
April 1 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino addressed the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group on the final day of its video conferencing summit outlining FIFA’s battle troops in the area and offering the co-operation of the organisation.
Kroos joins call for change in Qatar but not for boycott of 2022 finals
April 1 – Real Madrid’s German international Toni Kroos has become the latest high-profile player to criticise 2022 World Cup host nation Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers – but stopped short of calling for a boycott of the tournament.
Swedish FA calls in Sportradar to boost fight against match-fixing
March 31 – Swedish football that has been rocked by match-fixing scandal and saw criminal charges issued against five individuals last December, has moved to beef up its integrity operations via an increased betting monitoring deal with Sportradar.
Belgians add voice to protests calling for change in Qatar and action against racism
March 31 – The world’s number one team Belgium wore t-shirts on Tuesday in support of migrant workers involved in building 2022 World Cup stadiums in Qatar, following other European sides in protesting for improved human rights in the Gulf state.
Thierry Henry quits social media demanding platforms clean up rampant racism and bullying
March 29 – Former French international and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has quit social media until the various platforms start tackling racism more effectively.
SIGA put female empowerment and leadership at centre of sports integrity drive
March 26 – Global sports integrity body SIGA has followed on from its successful Female Leadership in Sport summit with the launch of a series of initiatives and principles in line with its commitment to making gender equity a key component of the body’s reform agenda.
FIFA hands out new bans to Blatter and Valcke, but has it broken its own time barring rules?
By Andrew Warshaw and Paul Nicholson
March 24 – FIFA’s efforts to distance the regime of Gianni Infantino from the previous administration of Sepp Blatter and Jerome Valcke have taken another significant step with both former powerbrokers suffering fresh bans at the hands of the organisation’s ethics apparatus.
Abramovich sues book publisher who claimed Putin told him to buy Chelsea
March 23 – Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has launched legal action against the author and publisher of a book which alleges he acted corruptly and bought the club on the direction of Vladimir Putin.