Inside World Football - Page 654 of 2160 - For the Business of Football

Second Sudan ethics complaint emerges, made 3 months prior to Infantino’s pre-CAF Congress visit

By Paul Nicholson

March 17 – More details are emerging of alleged financial corruption at the Sudan FA by president Dr. Kamal Shadad (pictured), as well as evidence of a complaint made to FIFA’s Ethics department back in October 2020, three months before FIFA president Gianni Infantino visited the country and reportedly instructed Shadad to support new CAF president Patrice Motsepe ahead of the African confederation’s electoral congress.

FIFA

Platini to give witness evidence in Infantino criminal case

March 17 – Former UEFA president Michel Platini spent six hours in front of a Swiss prosecutor as a suspect on Monday – but today was due to appear as a witness in a separate case against his nemesis, FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

Europe

BeNeLiga takes a step close as Belgian clubs vote in favour

By Samindra Kunti

March 17 – Belgium’s top flight clubs have voted in support of a cross-border BeNeLiga, a league that would see Belgian clubs play their counterparts from the Dutch Eredivisie.

FIFA

FIFA’s Wenger bangs drum for more World Cups and to ‘kick out’ confederation comps

March 17 – Arsene Wenger, FIFA’s chief of global football development, is calling for an overhaul of the entire calendar – including holding the World Cup and Euros every two years.

esports

Button pushed on start of eEuro 2021 qualifiers and eMLS Cup schedules

March 17 – The eSports football season is hotting up with UEFA’s eEuro 2021 qualifiers having started on Monday and the eMLS Cup finals in the US starting this weekend.

Europe

Dijon FCO refuse to release players for international duty

March 17 – Dijon FCO have become the latest of Europe’s clubs to refuse to release their non-European nationality players for international duty, the French club announced on Tuesday.

Performance

Man Utd are built for sustainable success, finds data report

Man Utd3

March 17 – Manchester United are Europe’s leading club in terms of having a built a squad that will have a sustainable run at the major titles, according to a report from the CIES Football Observatory.

Performance

Zlat is back: Ibrahimovic returns to spearhead Swedish attack

March 17 – Sweden have recalled their talismanic Zlatan Ibrahimovic to the national team five years after he announced his retirement.

Europe

PFA recruits globetrotter Molango to take over from Taylor

March 17 – Maheta Molango, a former Swiss player who spent time in England’s lower leagues, is to become the first black chief executive of a leading English football body when he succeeds Gordon Taylor as chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association.

Africa

Motsepe backs Veron to hit the ground running at CAF and tells TV it is time to pay Africans

By Samindra Kunti

March 16 – New CAF president Patrice Motsepe has said he needs new secretary-general Veron Mosengo-Omba in his team “to hit the ground running”, even if the South African offered little detail on how he will tackle some of CAF’s pressing, existential problems.

FIFPro economic report finds lack of protections for players in an unstable market

March 16 – A FIFPro study of working conditions in the domestic game in 79 countries shows “less than one-third have a well-functioning system” with stable employment conditions.

Copa America

Copa America to be played as 10 team comp after virus kills off non-Conmebol guests

March 16 – Co-hosts Argentina will kick off the 2020 Copa America in Buenos Aires on June 13, with South American Football Confederation Conmebol releasing the competition’s new calendar after both invitees Australia and Qatar withdrew because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Europe

Dinamo Zagreb coach Mamic quits after Croatian court confirms jail term for fraud

March 16 – The coach of Dinamo Zagreb, who play Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League on Thursday, has resigned after having a prison sentence for fraud and tax evasion confirmed by Croatia’s supreme court.

FIFA

Russian doping: FIFA opens cases against three players for alleged 2013 offences

March 16 – FIFA has opened disciplinary cases against three Russian footballers for suspected doping violations that happened in 2013.

FIFA

FIFA links with UNODC for match-fixing educational programme

March 16 – FIFA is intensifying its fight against match-fixing by linking up with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) over its Global Integrity Programme.