SIGA Strives 23: Sport Integrity Week unveiled for September 7-11
June 2 – The Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) has unveiled plans for the first ever Sport Integrity Week from 7-11 September 2020.
Integrity
#JusticeForGeorgeFloyd: Sancho, Thuram and McKennie make statements
June 1 – England international Jadon Sancho was among a number of players adding their voice at the weekend to protest against the death of George Floyd, the unarmed African-American whose death in Minneapolis when a police officer kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes sparked nationwide rioting.
SIGA Strives 22: Integrity body to unveil new series of gender equality initiatives
May 27 – SIGA will launch its new intergenerational 2020/2021 Global Agenda for Gender Equity in Sport on Sunday 7 June 2020, symbolically coincide with the anniversary of inaugural match of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup that proved to be a game-changer for the perception of the women’s game.
Gianni’s jet lands him back in hot water. If Ceferin was out, who was he flying to meet?
May 26 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has flown himself into hot water yet again after newspaper reports disclosed that the FIFA supremo may have lied over the use of a private jet in April 2017.
FIFA suspends Haiti’s Jean-Bart and open investigation into sexual abuse charges
May 26 – FIFA have suspended the president of Haiti’s football federation for 90 days pending an investigation into allegations he sexually abused teenage girls at the national training centre, built with a FIFA grant.
SIGA Strives 21: Integrity body puts focus on mental health
May 26 – SIGA has placed mental health on its Integrity Agenda during the Mental Health Awareness Week that is currently taking place around the globe, with this year’s theme focused on “acts of kindness”.
Haitian FA president Jean-Bart accused of fathering children from forced sex with players
May 22 – A second damning report in a space of a few weeks has been published by Britain’s Guardian newspaper into alleged appalling cases of sexual abuse by Haitian FA boss Yves Jean-Bart (pictured).
SIGA Strives 20: New edition of ‘4 Questions for 4 Leaders’ focuses on safeguarding
May 22 – The issues of safeguarding have been given a significantly upgraded status within the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) which, said the confederation’s Jasmine Ching, is taking big steps to tackle what is a “general lack of systemic awareness and education (at all levels) on child/youth safeguarding” across all Asian sport.
Montagliani puts focus on health first, but 2021 summer tournaments could see fans in stadia
May 21 – Concacaf President and FIFA Vice-President Victor Montagliani has said that the biggest challenge facing federations is not the financial costs being faced right now but the costs of ensuring compliance with health measures in the future. He also felt that it was unlikely to see a return of fans to international matches before the major tournaments in 2021.
Lauber loses Swiss vote after questioning over Infantino dealings
By Andrew Warshaw
May 21 – The fate of Michael Lauber, (pictured) Switzerland’s leading prosecutor, hangs perilously in the balance after lawmakers voted to launch impeachment proceedings against him amidst much-publicised concerns over his relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Man City to appeal Champions League ban at CAS in June
May 20 – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has set aside three days in June to hear Manchester City’s eagerly anticipated appeal against a two-year ban from European competition for breaching financial fair play rules.
Lauber faces Swiss parliament as his FIFA foundations crumble around him
By Paul Nicholson
May 20 – Today is a big one for the beleaguered Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber (pictured) who has seen his FIFA cases fall like dominoes amid a growing global concern over his relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, and whether a series of undocumented meetings have altered the natural course of justice.
Chelsea starlet Hudson-Odoi in police lockdown after rape accusation
May 19 – Chelsea and England winger Callum Hudson-Odoi has been arrested on suspicion of rape according to British press reports and confirmed by police.
Swiss judicial crisis as former FIFA governance guru Pieth calls for ‘heavyweight’ intervention
By Andrew Warshaw
May 18 – Mark Pieth, the Swiss governance expert first brought in by FIFA to oversee its reform process, has added his voice to those calling for the head of Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber.
FIFA says turning a meeting with prosecutors into a criminal complaint is a ‘farce’
By Paul Nicholson
May 15 – FIFA has responded to reports of the criminal complaint filed against president Gianni Infantino with the regional prosecutor’s office in Bern, Switzerland, saying the complaint is farcical and that FIFA will not stop meeting with prosecutors in their investigations of criminal wrongdoing.