By Andrew Warshaw
April 4 – FIFA general secretary Jérôme Valcke’s (pictured) fraught relationship with Brazil 2014 is again taking centre stage amid reports that he has been snubbed by the Brazilian Government in the continuing fallout over his infamous “kick up the backside” remarks.
By David Gold
April 4 – The line-up for the London 2012 women’s football tournament is now complete after New Zealand annihilated Papua New Guinea 15-0 on aggregate in the final Oceania group qualifying tie.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 4 – The second English Football Association (FA) Women’s Super League (WSL) season gets under way this weekend in what is being showcased as an ideal opportunity to fight for Team GB places at London 2012.
By David Gold
April 4 – Russia 2018 will later this year accompany FIFA officials on an inspection of prospective host cities for the World Cup in six years’ time, ahead of the final selection of venues.
By David Gold at Upton Park in London
April 3 – West Ham United has vowed to bring a million customers to the Olympic Park in London each year – should it win the right to move into the nearby Olympic Stadium.
By David Gold
April 3 – Brazilian wonderkid Neymar (pictured centre) is to be the best paid player in the recent history of the country’s football who has not moved to Europe, after he agreed a new sponsorship deal with car giant Volkswagen.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 3 – FIFA are stepping up their research into heart screening following the cardiac arrest suffered by Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba by setting up a worldwide database to help prevent similar cases.
By David Gold
April 3 – Louis Kilcoyne, the former President of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) and also a previous vice-president of the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI), has died at the age of 69 following a short illness.
By David Gold
April 3 – Former FIFA President João Havelange (pictured) is to leave intensive care at the Samaritano Hospital in Rio de Janeiro where he has been treated for an infection.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 3 – FIFA is on yet another collision course with Europe’s clubs after revealing that players do, after all, have to be released if selected for the London 2012 Olympics.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 3 – Clubs in Eastern Europe are deliberately rigging domestic matches in order to “buy” where they finish in the league at the end of the season, according the boss of the international players union, FIFPro.
By David Gold
April 2 – America-born Miguel Ponce’s late extra-time strike helped Mexico win the Confederation of North, Central and Caribbean Football (CONCACAF) men’s football qualifiers for London 2012.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 2 – Yet another serious match fixing episode, this time in Italy, moved on apace today when Atalanta defender Andrea Masiello (pictured) was arrested in connection with last season’s scandal in Serie A.
By David Gold
April 2 – All Turkish teams, including those not involved in match rigging, could be banned from European competition rather than face relegation, after the suggestion from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was echoed by Yıldırım Demirören, the new Turkish Football Federation (TFF) chairman.
It was billed as a “historic day” for FIFA in terms of its reform process but what happens now? It’s one thing being accused of failing to sufficiently investigate corruption allegations against its members. But it’s quite another actually doing something about it.
Anti-corruption guru Mark Pieth’s eagerly awaited report into FIFA’s recent conduct may have been hard-hitting in its conclusions and suggested firm ways of rebuilding trust. But until and unless FIFA acts on the recommendations the cynics will still swirl around football’s world governing body.