May 9 – Just five weeks before the start of the World Cup, FIFA has given Russia a symbolic wrap over the knuckles by fining the Russian soccer federation CHF30,000 ($30,000) after fans racially abused French players during a recent game in St. Petersburg.
May 1 – Following a special session organised by the Sports Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) at the Miami Dade College in Florida, USA, SIGA has launched an action plan against abuse, smuggling and trafficking of children and young people in sport.
April 27 – In an important case that could potentially have implications for player image rights, a European court has ruled that Argentina and Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi, can trademark his own name for use on sports and clothing equipment.
April 26 – Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani has defended the club’s decision to play two post-season friendlies in Myanmar, saying the decision to play there is about people, not governments.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 20 – Constant Omari, the Democratic Republic of Congo football association president and one-time FIFA reform official arrested as part of an embezzlement probe in his country, has been released on bail for health reasons after being held for 21 hours.
By Paul Nicholson
April 20 – Liverpool’s controversial sponsorship partnership with Tibet Water is refusing to stay out the headlines with a group of 25 English MPs having written to the club asking them to end their deal.
April 19 – In the latest crackdown on third party ownership of players, FIFA have handed out a raft of sanctions to clubs for transfer deals.
By Paul Nicholson
April 18 – Police in Congo have swooped to arrest DR Congo Football Association (Fecofa) president Constant Omari along with two Fecofa vice presidents, Roger Bondembe (finance director) and Theobad Binamungu (national team manager), Their detention comes as part of a corruption investigation looking at embezzlement of government and football funds.
April 18 – Swiss club FC Sion, which has a history of controversy on and off the field, have been a handed a two-season ban from European competition by UEFA over a transfer debt.
April 17 – They can protest all they like about being unfairly singled out, but FIFA has charged World Cup hosts Russia with fan racism less than two months before the tournament begins.
April 13 – Peru captain Paolo Guerrero’s dreams of leading his country into the World Cup in June could be shattered if the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) appeal to increase his ban for a positive doping test is successful.
By David Owen
April 13 – In a move that will be greeted with much relief in the anti-doping sector, Berlinger has decided to continue producing sample bottles for at least the next 12 months.
April 12 – The Beautiful Game. A matter more serious than life or death, if you believe Mr Shankley. However, far from complementing the beauty of the game, off-field misdemeanours within the business of football are increasingly stealing the headlines. This time the scandal hitting the headlines concerns Derby County FC and Sam Rush, its former President and CEO. The Rams dismissed Mr Rush for gross misconduct and breach of fiduciary duty in May 2017.
April 11 – Greek football, plagued by a raft of controversial incidents on and off the pitch in recent months, has been plunged into yet more turmoil after Panathinaikos players went on a brief strike in protest over unpaid wages from last year.
April 11 – Barcelona forward Munir El Haddadi has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in his bid to switch national allegiance from Spain to Morocco ahead of the World Cup.