Did doping regulator just fail its own test on Man City?
February 17 – Eyebrows have been raised at the leniency of a £35,000 fine meted out by cash-rich English Premier League club Manchester City for breaching anti-doping rules.
AFC hammers 22 Laos and Cambodian match-fixers with lifetime bans
February 17 – If there was any doubt that the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) meant business when it said it was operating a zero tolerance policy on match-fixing, can be dispelled with the news that its Disciplinary Committee has issued life bans from football-related activities to 22 players and officials from Laos and Cambodia, one of the largest single group of suspensions related to one set of match-fixing instances.
English to add goalline technology to its second-tier Championship
February 17 – Clubs in English football’s second-tier Championship clubs have agreed “in principle” to use goalline technology from the start of next season.
ICSS and esports integrity group join for battle against betting fraud
February 17 – The eSports Integrity Coalition (ESIC) and International Centre for Sport Security Europe (ICSS EUROPE) have signed an agreement to work on match-fxing integrity issues facing the esports industry.
Ahmad’s CAF campaign for change gathers speed as Nigeria desert Hayatou
By Andrew Warshaw
February 16 – Issa Hayatou’s quest to hang on to power at the helm of African football has taken another jolt with the news that the highly influential Nigerian FA is backing his rival for the leadership.
Gianni jets back into focus with Mutko ‘flight’, pay rises and an emptying of FIFA House
By Paul Nicholson
February 16 – It seems Gianni’s jet fetish may still be alive and kicking despite a FIFA Ethics investigation and reminders on rules about accepting gifts or favours that could prove later to be compromising. The FIFA president took a private jet on November 26, 2016 from Moscow to Kazan, provided by Russian sports minister and FIFA Council candidate Vitaly Mutko.
2026 – Infantino’s caring, sharing and sustainable World Cup blueprint
February 16 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino says multiple hosting of the World Cup can work perfectly well and that 2026, when the process is likely to start, could even be staged by up to four neighbouring countries.
Exclusive: UEFA rules loophole leaves door open to an age-old issue
By Andrew Warshaw
February 16 – One of the longest-serving figures among European football’s old guard elite is exploiting an historic loophole in UEFA’s age restrictions to try and retain a place at the organisation’s top table.
Cost savings help under-pressure English FA back into the black
By David Owen
February 16 – The Football Association, which is facing mounting pressure to reform from British MPs, has released figures detailing cost savings made as a result of an organisational restructure announced in July 2015.
Osasu Obayiuwana: Mission Unaccomplished
Insideworldfootball columnist, Osasu Obayiuwana, a member of the now dissolved FIFA Task Force Against Racism and Discrimination, shares his personal experiences and disappointment with FIFA’s half-hearted attempt to address racial and discriminatory issues in football.
Roma partner with Fnatic and sign pro-team for esports play
February 16 – AS Roma from Italy’s Serie A is the latest to join the esports action, partnering with Fnatic to create the club’s first competitive gaming team. Aman Seddiqi, Sam Carmody and Nicolo Mirra will play as AS Roma at tournaments and events.
Brazil’s Rio 2016 alchemist Micale falls from favour over U20 failure
February 16 – The CBF, the Brazilian Football Confederation, and coach Rogerio Micale are poised to part ways following Brazil’s failure to qualify for the U20 World Cup in South Korea. Micale coached the Brazilians to the gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
FIFA investigators push for life bans for Li and Jimenez
February 16 – FIFA’s ethics committee has opened formal proceedings against two former Central American officials after investigators recommended they be banned for life for alleged corruption.
Exclusive: Olympiacos’s Evangelos Marinakis – Enough with the Mr Bad Guy
By Paul Nicholson
February 15 – Evangelos Marinakis is a big guy. He is physically big, he has a big shipping empire, he has the biggest football club in Greece, Olympiacos, and he is the big player in the social fabric of his home town Piraeus, a district of Athens, Greece.
Council of Europe investigates FIFA as Brasseur says she ‘sees no reform’
By Paul Nicholson
February 15 – The Council of Europe has launched an investigation into FIFA, its business activities and its governance, according to former president Anne Brasseur who said she was “very concerned” at FIFA reform progress.