By Samindra Kunti
July 23 – A September friendly between Brazil and Argentina in San Francisco has been cancelled as the fallout of the FIFA corruption scandal continues. Problems with Full Play have impeded the staging of the match.
July 23 – As Russian football prepares to portray itself in the best possible light at Saturday’s star-studded 2018 World Cup draw, its record on racism has again been questioned with FC Ufa midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong describing the rejection of allegations he made as “beyond a joke”.
By Samindra Kunti
July 23 – French clubs Olympique Lyon and Lille OSC are gearing up for the 2015/16 Ligue 1 season with new commercial deals. Lyon have teamed up with McDonald’s, while Lille have extended a deal with Groupe Partouche.
Any organisation in crisis prompts outlandish ideas on what should be done to reform it. But even then some of the ideas proposed to reform FIFA are so absurd as to make you wonder if those proposing them are really serious or just seeking sound bytes. That FIFA needs reform is a given. But to reform FIFA we need to understand what kind of an organisation it really is.
By Mark Baber
July 22 – FIFPro has revealed details of a case they have been working on involving children from Africa being trafficked to Laos, telling FIFA “the current Transfer Matching System (FIFA TMS) does not guarantee the protection of minor players.”
By Andrew Warshaw
July 22 – Domenico Scala, the no-nonsense and increasingly influential Swiss-Italian who has been at the forefront of pushing for meaningful change at FIFA, has emerged as the favourite to lead the newly established body charged with implementing concrete, lasting reform in the post-Sepp Blatter era.
July 22 – The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) has signed another agreement with a government body, this time with youth and sport ministers from Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP). At the same time preparations for ICSS’s Financial Integrity and Transparency in Sport (FITS) Forum are continuing at speed.
July 22 – The professional prankster who broke through security to gatecrash Sepp Blatter’s press conference on Monday is to be charged with trespassing by Swiss authorities.
July 22 – After breaking a number of records at their recent World Cup in Canada, the women’s game has scored yet another first by being featured on the front of EA Sports’ FIFA 16, the hugely popular video game.
The setting is certainly fascinating and the event promises to be a media heaven. But, as ever, the danger is in the ambush that lurks around the corner. On July 28, in Milan, under the “world” banner offered by the Milan Expo, will be the draw for the calendar of the 2015-2016 Serie A season, which will open on the weekend of August 22-23. But should we be so sure?
By Alexander Krassimirov
July 22 – The Bulgarian tax collector, the National Revenue Agency (NAP), has failed to find a buyer for the CSKA Sofia brand (it’s logos and trademarks) and has dropped the asking price by 20%, to BGN2,944,288 (€1,472,144). This is the second time it has lowered the price.
By David Owen
July 22 – FIFA’s ad hoc electoral committee met on Tuesday, just a day after February 26 was fixed as the date of the election that is expected to bring down the curtain on Sepp Blatter’s near 18-year reign as President of world football’s governing body.
By Ben Nicholson
July 21 – David Beckham appears to have found a mutually agreeable site in Miami for his long awaited MLS franchise. The city’s resolve to push Beckham away from its prime real estate has forced him to resort to the less desirable land next to Marlins Park, home to a Major League Baseball team, which is west of downtown in Little Havana.
For those who like to think before they foam at their keyboard, the editorial reprinted here from the Trinidad Daily Express raises some important, generally forgotten, issues. Jack Warner may be a crook, he may be a bad man but this editorial points out where much of the media have been going wrong. It suggests a lot of physicians in and around the world of football need to start with healing themselves, or at least a health check.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 21 – One of the potential contenders for FIFA president and a long time bitter rival of Sepp Blatter has said that leaving him until February 26 to stay in the job shows the organisation “have yet to come to their senses”.