By Andrew Warshaw
March 17 – Qatar’s World Cup organisers, buffeted by constant attacks about the country’s human rights record, have gone on the offensive by branding the latest report into the mistreatment of workers as a smear campaign “riddled with factual errors”.
March 17 – Adidas boss Herbert Hainer is to take over as the new chairman of Bayern Munich following the resignation of Uli Hoeness in the wake of his tax evasion scandal.
March 17 – Former French international striker Nicolas Anelka faces an uncertain future following the latest development concerning his infamous ‘quenelle’ gesture that landed him with a five-match ban and a hefty fine from the English Football Association.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 17 – African football chief Issa Hayatou says it’s time the Continent provided at least one World Cup semifinalist.
March 17 – CONCACAF has introduced a set of Competition Integrity Measures to tackle match-fixing. They are now being conducted before every CONCACAF tournament and competition.
By David Owen
March 17 – The head of Asian football has given his support to a modification to the World Cup qualifying system that would see the fifth-placed team in Asian qualifying play off against the top team in Oceania for a place in FIFA’s flagship tournament.
By David Owen
March 17 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is considering electoral reforms that would see the next elected President secure an automatic place on FIFA’s Executive Committee.
By David Owen
March 17 – The man heading the task force charged with settling on the best date for the 2022 World Cup has confirmed that no decision will be taken for at least a year.
By David Owen
March 15 – The top two tiers of English football are in discussions aimed at establishing “proportionate linkage” between their respective sets of financial sustainability rules, Premier League boss Richard Scudamore has revealed.
By David Owen
March 14 – The world’s biggest football confederation by population covered and the football league with arguably the biggest international following have signed a mutual cooperation agreement.
I haven’t wanted to criticise the Europa League. Honestly I haven’t.
I loved the Cup Winners’ Cup and UEFA Cup. I have soft sports for many clubs who play at Europa League level. And there is undoubtedly something heartwarming about a club breaking through to play in Europe. The potential for fans to dream, to follow team over land and sea. From my country England it’s been Wigan and Swansea this season and you won’t find their fans complaining about European football,
FIFA is happy that Qatar 2022 is building landmark stadia and infrastructure, but general secretary Jérôme Valcke says that while the debate on the issues has moved on, the construction companies and the Qatari authorities must ensure there are no more deaths
The World Cup is more than just a football tournament, but FIFA general secretary Jérôme Valcke says that while FIFA can support change in a country there is limit to what it can do, FIFA is not the UN, FIFA is about football, “we don’t tell a country its foreign policy”
March 14 – Former France and Manchester United icon Eric Cantona has been arrested and cautioned on suspicion of common assault following an incident in north London on Wednesday, according to reports.
Public demonstration can be expected at the World Cup, it will not be a surprise if it happens, says FIFA general secretary Jérôme Valcke. Plans are in place to keep Brazil safe for visiting fans and to create a lasting World Cup legacy for the country.