It was never intended to end up like this. Jerome Valcke always expected to step down after eight years as FIFA’s number two once his boss, Sepp Blatter, announced he was calling it a day next February.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
September 22 – Romania’s National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) has launched an investigation to determine whether Gheorghe Ciuhandu, the former mayor of Timisoara, and two other local officials illegally funded local football club Politehnica Timisoara, which was privately-owned, between 2008 and 2011.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 22 – FIFA’s ethics investigators have tabled a request to this week’s executive committee meeting calling for greater powers to explain precise reasons for punishing officials in order to offset constant media speculation and speed up the reform process.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 22 – The net appears to be finally closing in on former FIFA vice-president and CONCACAF supremo Jack Warner after extradition proceedings to the United States on corruption charges were approved by Trinidad’s attorney general.
“If you owe your bank a hundred pounds, you have a problem. But if you owe a million, it has.” John Maynard Keynes
Like him or loathe him – and he splits opinion as surely as Marmite – John Maynard Keynes was one of history’s greatest minds. His writing has formed the basis of the modern economic system. (Although what he taught has been treated as a piecemeal buffet from which to pick and choose according to political expediency,
By Samindra Kunti
September 22 – French organisers of the Euro2016 tournament have said that it is their intention that the tournament will galvanise more of the French youth into playing football and that through improved facilities the tournament will leave a sustainable legacy. To that end they have launched a number of social programmes.
September 22 – The arrival of South Korea international Heung-Min Son at English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur has spurred the club’s social media team to start creating localised Korean language content across its Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and web platforms.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 21 – UEFA has been quick to play down reports in Germany and England that it has unearthed a potentially serious doping issue in its competitions.
By Paul Nicholson
September 21 – South African FA president Danny Jordaan (pictured) and former SAFA president Molefi Oliphant face increased likelihood of criminal prosecution in South Africa following the Democratic Alliance (DA) political party’s laying of criminal charges against them concerning the $10 million that was sent to CONCACAF.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 21 – FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali bin al-Hussein has been quick to seize on the suspension of the organisation’s secretary general Jerome Valcke.
By Mark Baber
September 21 – With at least two Nigerians considering standing for the post of FIFA President, President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick (pictured), has reiterated that anyone from Nigeria wishing to stand must meet the conditions laid out by the NFF Executive Committee.
By Paul Nicholson
September 21 – The start of the Rugby World Cup in England has not dampened enthusiasm for Premier League soccer with the league recording the highest capacity percentage (96.07%) overall since the opening day of the season.
By Paul Nicholson
September 21 – The South American marketers accused of offering bribes to secure commercial rights for major regional tournaments took the next steps along the judicial process in New York and Argentina. Meanwhile in Trinidad, Jack Warner is scheduled to get a ruling on his potential extradition to the US today.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 21 – Despite a string of examples of racism in Russian football and resultant sanctions by the game’s authorities, former national team captain Alexei Smertin (pictured) insists it is not an issue in his country.
September 21 – The global auditing firm KPMG has launched an internal review of its Swiss subsidiary that is responsible for the audit of FIFA according to the Swiss media.