By Andrew Warshaw
May 25 – Mohamed Bin Hammam today hit back after being charged by FIFA with offering bribes for votes, claiming the move was “little more than a tactic” on the the part of the opposing camp loyal to Sepp Blatter.
Can next week’s FIFA Presidential election possibly go ahead on schedule as a result of the latest seismic bombshell to hit football’s world governing body?
The decision by FIFA to investigate claims that Sepp Blatter’s only challenger, Mohamed Bin Hammam, and the organisation’s longest-serving vice-president, Jack Warner, were both caught up in a bribery sensation is by far and away the most damning of all the recent scandals to strike at the heart of the governing body’s hierarchy.
By David Gold
May 25 – The President of Russian Premier League outfit Dynamo Moscow, Yuri Isayev, is the latest big name confirmed as a speaker for the Inside World Football Moscow Forum.
By David Gold
May 25 – Arsenal’s second largest shareholder, Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, is attempting to block Stan Kroenke’s bid to take full control of the Premier League club.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 25 – Football’s world governing body FIFA was plunged into disarray today when it was forced to launch an investigation into alleged bribery involving both Presidential challenger Mohamed Bin Hammam and veteran vice-president Jack Warner.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 24 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter has turned down a chance to appear before British MPs to explain his plans for reforming football’s world governing body.
By David Gold
May 24 – Premier League general secretary Nic Coward is the latest speaker to be confirmed for the Inside World Football Moscow Forum.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 23 – FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke (pictured) has rejected accusations that Mohammed Bin Hammam was asked to scrap his election challenge to Sepp Blatter because of the corruption allegations concerning Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 23 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter has promised to use his fourth and final term of office to take a tougher stance against improper behaviour – even by his own inner sanctum.
By David Gold
May 23 – FIFA’s legal delegation has concluded its first official visit to Russia ahead of the 2018 World Cup.
By David Gold
May 23 – Japan will be hosting the Club World Cup in December as planned despite continuing fears over the nuclear crisis in the country following March’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, FIFA President Sepp Blatter has confirmed.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 23 – Qatar’s football authorities today hit back with a vengeance at what they termed “a series of serious, unsubstantiated and false allegations” that bribes were paid to two senior FIFA officials to support the Gulf state’s 2022 World Cup bid.
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Lord Triesman’s testimony in Parliament may not prove to be quite the defining moment for FIFA that the media coverage suggests. Triesman’s statements have been seen as FIFA’s equivalent of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Salt Lake City moment. That ended with the IOC cleaning up its act and expelling 10 members.
My worry is that the Triesman intervention could be great theatre but not lead to any real change.
I say this based on having witnessed an even more explosive drama at the IOC’s headquarters in Lausanne back in December 1998.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 21 – With 10 days to go until the FIFA Presidential election, Sepp Blatter took another opportunity today to address African football leaders before moving on to Japan for the final leg of his lobbying campaign.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 20 – The Football Assoiciation and Premier League have given written submissions that there was no conflict of interest over the award of merchandise contracts to a company part-owned by the son of Premier League chairman Sir Dave Richards.