Professional football is often seen as the Holy Grail by many aspiring young players, with their dreams of becoming the next Messi, Mane, Ronaldo, or Mbappe, and a golden ticket to escaping from their current situation, whilst securing the financial future of themselves and their families. It is a fertile opportunity for criminals and organised crime. Report by Fred Lord
By Andrew Warshaw
October 30 – After a high-profile 10-day trial that gripped world football politics amid persistent conjecture, Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi was acquitted today of aggravated criminal mismanagement regarding the allocation of World Cup TV rights.
October 30 – LaLiga’s Real Betis has launched an environmental action programme aimed at encouraging businesses to work through football to contribute actively against climate change.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 29 – Former FIFA number two Jerome Valcke and influential Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who also sits on UEFA’s executive committee, will learn their fate on Friday regarding alleged corruption in the allocation of World Cup TV rights.
October 29 – Spanish authorities have told La Liga clubs that they have until the end of this season to cut ties with betting sponsors before new gambling regulation bans betting sponsorship is enforced next year.
By Samindra Kunti
October 28 – The English Football Association has launched a code to drive ethnic and gender diversity at the top levels of the game. More than 40 clubs have signed up, the FA said.
October 28 – South Africa’s most successful club, Kaizer Chiefs, have lost their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding an illegal signing and will be banned from any purchases in the next two transfer windows.
October 27 – Liverpool fans are doing it, so are those of Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Leeds United and a raft of others. Premier League fans across the country are boycotting pay-per-view games and are instead raising money for charity, so far exceeding £300,000.
October 27 – Manchester United’s French midfielder Paul Pogba says he will take legal action after reports suggested he was to retire from international football.
By Paul Nicholson
October 26 – The United TTFA members who for eight months have tried to retain power over the Trinidad and Tobago FA after being kicked out by a FIFA Normalisation Committee, have been humiliated twice in three days.
October 26 – Portuguese top-flight club Vitoria Guimaraes has been fined €55,000 and ordered to play three matches behind closed doors because of racist abuse by fans towards Porto’s Malian international Moussa Marega.
October 26 – Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling is set to become the second England international footballer to use his influence to tackle social issues by founding a charity to help children from disadvantaged families.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 22 – A new report into the extent to which professional footballers are attacked online has thrown up damning and disturbing findings, with 43% of English Premier League players surveyed having experienced “targeted racist abuse”.
October 21 – Manchester United’s Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo says he is ashamed of the government following reports that soldiers opened fire on protesters in an area of Lagos on Tuesday.
October 20 – Spanish prosecutors have requested a jail sentence of 21 and a half years and a €105 million fine for the president of tier two Las Palmas, Miguel Ángel Ramírez.