Match-fixing: Brazilian police arrest 7 in Sao Paulo as investigation widens
July 8 – Seven people suspected of match-fixing – including players, coaches, agents and club presidents – have been arrested in Brazil.
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CAS dismisses Skenderbeu appeal with key decision in battle against match-fixers
July 7 – The dismissal of the appeal by Klubi Sportiv Skenderbeu to have their Champions League ban lifted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) could prove to be a landmark decision in the battle against match-fixing.
Valcke and Chung have bans reduced by FIFA appeals committee
By Andrew Warshaw
July 6 – FIFA’s appeals committee has cut the suspension of former secretary general Jerome Valcke (pictured) from 12 years to 10 and reduced Asian football powerbroker Chung Mong-joon’s ban from six years to five, though both moves represent only partial success for the two senior officials who served under the Sepp Blatter regime and were determined to clear their names.
Pressure on Infantino intensifies as leaked memo catalogues multiple ethics breaches
By Andrew Warshaw
July 4 – Speculation that the net could be closing in on FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been intriguingly stepped up following the publication of an explosive leaked memo, seemingly on official FIFA letter-headed paper, that accuses Infantino of a series of ethics violations.
Dr Laila Mintas: A 4-point check list for creating a robust anti-match-fixing body
The largest corruption threat to football is the one that its administrators frequently seem most reluctant to face aggressively. Match-fixing cannot be swept under the carpet but the anti-match-fixing fight does need more funding and the acceptance of objective benchmarks to evaluate the independence of the governing bodies in the front line.
AFC cracks down on match-fixing with life ban for refs as investigation continues
July 1 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has banned two Thai referees for life for involvement in match-fixing following a meeting of its disciplinary committee.
Wales vs Belgium preview: Bale targeted at weakened Belgian backline
July 1 – Following the lacklustre first Euro 2016 quarterfinal, this one has all the makings of a mouth-watering affair between the side currently ranked No. 2 in the world and outsiders Wales for whom this is the biggest match since the 1958 World Cup.
Infantino flies back into ethics storm as FIFA opens preliminary investigation
By Andrew Warshaw and Paul Nicholson
June 29 – After some respite with media attention focussed on events on the field at Euro 2016 in France and the Copa America Centenario in the US, the pressure is back on FIFA president Gianni Infantino following yet more speculation that he is to be investigated by FIFA’s ethics committee over possible conflict of interest.
US Supreme Court widens the RICO opportunity globally for US corruption chasers
By Paul Nicholson
June 28 – A ruling last week in the Supreme Court in the US could well send shivers down the spines of football marketing executives and rights holders who haven’t been caught up in the US football corruption investigations, yet.
Hodgson quits with more speed and style than an England attack
By Andrew Warshaw
June 28 – England are looking for a new manager yet again after Roy Hodgson quit within minutes of the stunning 2-1 defeat by Iceland, the lowest-ranked team left in the competition, in the first knockout round at Euro 2016.
Legal: film fund footballer investors should beware the hungry taxman
June 23 – Players in Britain who have been encouraged to invest in tax avoidance schemes are increasingly being caught offside by UK tax collectors. They need to act now before all is lost. By Tessa Lorimer, Withers
Euro previews: Spain vs Czech Rep; Belgium vs Italy
By Andrew Warshaw
June 13 – Spain-Czech Republic: Spain are not quite the unstoppable force they were four years ago. Witness them being eliminated from the last World Cup at the first hurdle. But the defending champions still have a fearsome look about them as they try to clinch a third consecutive European title, having already made history by retaining it.
Messi says he knows nothing, he just signed the paperwork
June 3 – Barcelona and Argentina superstar Lionel Messi, on trial for alleged tax fraud in Spain, has told a court he had no involvement in the management of his financial affairs.
Peruvian court agrees to send former FA boss Burga to face US justice
June 3 – Another of the football officials indicted by the US Justice Department in the football corruption investigation has lost his battle against extradition from his home country to the US. A Peruvian court has ruled against former federation boss Manuel Burga’s request to remain in the country.
AFC reform task force reviews progress and proposes new whistleblower policy
June 2 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) at a meeting of its Governance Reform Task Force has taken steps to implement a new and more detailed whistleblower policy, a first for a football confederation outside the area of match-fixing.