January 7 – Former England captain Wayne Rooney, who has played for D.C. United in the United States since last year, was arrested in mid-December on a minor charge of public intoxication and had to pay a token fine of $25 with $91 in costs, it was revealed over the weekend.
January 4 – The Football Association is asking anyone with information to come forward after an unnamed England international was reported to have been “kicked out of a nightclub for taking cocaine”.
January 4 – Italy’s deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has condemned as “disgusting” restrictions imposed on women at the Italian Super Cup being staged this month in Saudi Arabia.
January 4 – A Chelsea supporter has been banned from attending games for three years after being found guilty of homophobic chants during the club’s Premier League game at Brighton and Hove Albion last month.
January 2 – FIFA has been hit with a Swiss Supreme Court ruling ordering it to pay $16.8 million plus interest in compensation to US-based ticket broker JB Sports Marketing (JBSM), for World Cup tickets it never received.
January 1 – UEFA and the international players’ union FIFPro have both criticised the match officials for “failing to respect anti-racism protocol” after monkey chants were directed at Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly throughout his team’s 1-0 Serie A loss at Inter Milan on Boxing Day.
December 28 – The pre-match violence and racist chanting at the Inter Milan vs Napoli match at the San Siro in Milan on Boxing Day have immediately resulted in a ban on Inter fans attending the club’s next two home games.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 20 – German football boss and FIFA Council member Reinhard Grindel has renewed his attack on the FIFA leadership and Gianni Infantino in person saying Infantino is fuelling international prejudice against his own organisation over his controversial plans to reshape the landscape of world football,
By Paul Nicholson
December 19 – The European Union, China and Canada all spoke out in support of Qatar’s case against Saudi Arabia at a World Trade Organisation (WTO) meeting today discussing the beoutQ piracy of broadcast programming. All three backed the contention that Qatar had the right to pursue protection of the intellectual copyright through the organisation.
Chelsea are back in the headlines for the conduct of their fans with UEFA confirming it is to investigate the “alleged racist incidents” during the club’s Europa League game at MOL Vidi in Hungary.
December 14 – The reputation of Chelsea supporters as among the worst in English football has plummeted to an all-time low after their own club questioned the “brain power” of some fans following the latest disgraceful scenes of racist abuse.
December 13 – Just days after Afghan Football Federation president Keramuddin Keram was removed from office by the country’s attorney general while allegations of sexual abuse against members of the country’s women’s national team are investigated, FIFA has followed suit by banning him due to the ongoing probe.
December 13 – The Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) and the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) have partnered to raise the level of Sport Integrity within national governments via a research and profile-building project titled ‘A Business Case for Sport Integrity’.
December 12 – Lord Herman Ouseley is to stand down as chairman of British football’s anti-discrimination group Kick It Out at the end of the season.
By Paul Nicholson
December 11 – The debate over gambling ads in the UK has intensified with League One side Luton Town saying it has rejected sponsorship from betting companies while Sky CEO Stephen van Rooyen (pictured) has argued that banning gambling ads from being broadcast during matches will only drive that marketing spend online.