By Andrew Warshaw
February 7 – On the day he was re-elected as UEFA president for four more years, Aleksander Ceferin pulled no punches in his opposition to FIFA’s controversial proposals to change the landscape of world football, declaring he would not be a “yes man” over the highly divisive $25 billion project
February 7 – The Asian Cup win for Qatar last Friday in the UAE has pushed the hosts of the 2022 World Cup 38 places up the FIFA Rankings, released today, to 55th position, the highest spot the country has achieved since 1993.
February 7 – UEFA and European Club Association have signed a renewed Memorandum of Understanding until 2024 in a move that kills off talk of a European Super League.
February 7 – With VAR set to make its Champions League debut in next week’s last-16 clashes, UEFA’s refereeing chief Roberto Rosetti (pictured) has stressed it must be used sparingly.
February 7 – French club Nantes have reportedly requested the first tranche of payment from Cardiff City over the £15 million transfer of Emiliano Sala whose light aircraft went tragically missing over the English Channel a fortnight ago, with wreckage only recently discovered.
By David Owen
February 7 – Chipmaker Intel is taking a stake in the Premier League title race, striking deals with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City to install its True View technology at the Emirates, Anfield and the Etihad.
February 7 – London’s Metropolitan Police and West Ham United are reviewing a video that shows a West Ham supporter directing anti-Muslim abuse at Liverpool star Mohamed Salah.
February 7 – Germany’s Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 have notched up record attendance levels for the first half of the season, beating their 2017/18 record.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 6 – Gianni Infantino isn’t the only leading football administrator standing unchallenged for re-election. On Thursday in Rome, two and half years after becoming UEFA president in the wake of the scandal that brought down Michel Platini, Aleksander Ceferin will be voted in for new four-year term at UEFA’s annual Congress.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 6 – Gianni Infantino will rule FIFA for at least four more years after it was confirmed, as anticipated, that he will stand unopposed in June’s presidential election.
February 6 – Jose Mourinho, arguably the game’s most successful coach for more than a decade but whose star has recently faded, was handed a one-year suspended sentence for tax fraud on Tuesday – but will not serve any time behind bars.
By David Owen
February 6 – FIFA has moved to assert control over the Qatar 2022 World Cup delivery process. The governing body has announced establishment of a joint venture with the Qatar 2022 Local Organising Committee (LOC) that will take responsibility for the planning and delivery of operations and services for the tournament, scheduled for the first time for a northern-hemisphere winter.
By Paul Nicholson
January 6 – FIFA has a new human rights case to champion and this one looks like it is directly related to football. Following the Iraq vs Qatar game at the Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates, British passport holder Ali Issa Ahmed was arrested, reportedly for wearing a Qatar shirt to the game.
February 6 – World Cup hosts Qatar have responded to claims by Amnesty International that time is running out to implement globally acceptable labour reforms by pledging the country is entirely committed to stopping widespread abuse.
By Samindra Kunti
February 6 – FIFA has demanded a full investigation into allegations of match-fixing in Kenyan national team matches. Former Kenya international George Owino and convicted match-fixer Wilson Raj Perumal (pictured) are believed to have manipulated matches involving the Harambee Stars, including a 2010 World Cup qualifier.