Spanish judge rules Messi will stand trail for fraud, jail beckons

Lionel Messi2

October 9 – The world’s best-known and most talented footballer faces a possible jail sentence after a Spanish court ruled that Argentine and Barcelona striker Lionel Messi and his father should stand trial on tax fraud charges, rejecting a request by prosecutors to drop the charges against the mercurial superstar.

Read more …

FIFA suspends Blatter, Platini and Valcke. Chung banned

FIFA signage

By Andrew Warshaw
October 8 – FIFA’s crumbling, corruption-tainted foundations were smashed to pieces today when Sepp Blatter and his would-be successor as president, Michel Platini, were both given provisional 90-day suspensions along with Jerome Valcke, FIFA’s number two who was recently put on gardening leave.

Read more …

Sport is at a “defining moment”, says ICSS chief, calling for neutral integrity body

Chris Eaton 4

By Paul Nicholson
October 8 – The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) has issued a statement from its executive director Chris Eaton reacting to media reports of the impending suspension of FIFA president Sepp Blatter saying this “represents a defining moment for world football and wider sport” and calling for a “independent and neutral global oversight body” to take on the monitoring of sport governing bodies.

Read more …

Martin Volkmar: Boring Bayernliga

German media and fans are united in agreement that after just eight weekends of the Bundesliga the championship is decided. Although the club bosses won’t entertain the same opinion, the frenetic 5: 1 victory over supposed challengers Borussia Dortmund has eliminated any lingering doubts concerning the dominance of Bayern.

Read more …