By David Owen
February 6 – FIFA has moved to assert control over the Qatar 2022 World Cup delivery process. The governing body has announced establishment of a joint venture with the Qatar 2022 Local Organising Committee (LOC) that will take responsibility for the planning and delivery of operations and services for the tournament, scheduled for the first time for a northern-hemisphere winter.
By Paul Nicholson
January 6 – FIFA has a new human rights case to champion and this one looks like it is directly related to football. Following the Iraq vs Qatar game at the Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates, British passport holder Ali Issa Ahmed was arrested, reportedly for wearing a Qatar shirt to the game.
February 6 – World Cup hosts Qatar have responded to claims by Amnesty International that time is running out to implement globally acceptable labour reforms by pledging the country is entirely committed to stopping widespread abuse.
By Samindra Kunti
February 6 – FIFA has demanded a full investigation into allegations of match-fixing in Kenyan national team matches. Former Kenya international George Owino and convicted match-fixer Wilson Raj Perumal (pictured) are believed to have manipulated matches involving the Harambee Stars, including a 2010 World Cup qualifier.
February 6 – Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi has greenlighted the build of AS Roma’s proposed new 52,000 all-seat stadium – Stadio della Roma – in the south of the city. Construction could begin by the end of the year.
February 6 – Sports broadcaster beIN SPORTS is to take further legal action in its dispute with US cable operator Comcast over its rights to have carriage on the Comacast platform.
By Paul Nicholson and Andrew Warshaw
February 5 – Ramon Vega has landed in Rome in advance of the UEFA Congress to carry out some last minute lobbying in advance of the deadline for nominations for the FIFA presidential elections that will be held in June in Paris.
February 5 – Chelsea’s César Azpilicueta has played more minutes in Europe’s big-5 leagues during the last five years than any other outfield player.
February 5 – Fans of high-flying Italian club Atalanta have expressed their frustration and anger after it was revealed the club had terminated Iraq defender Ali Adnan’s contract following the Asian Cup.
February 5 – The Asian Cup may only have just finished, but there is little respite for Asia’s players as the qualifiers for this year’s AFC Asian Champions League, the continent’s premier club competition, get underway today.
February 5 – The British government is to hold an “urgent” meeting with football administrators to try to tackle the worrying resurgence of discrimination in the sport.
February 5 – Concacaf has agreed an exclusive master licensee contract for consumer products with US firm OEG Sports. OEG will also act as the confederation’s licensing agent in a global deal.
February 5 – At last year’s World Cup in Russia FIFA president Gianni Infantino said that it would be “difficult to think about the World Cup without VAR”, but it remained unclear if he was also referring to the women’s game.
February 5 – A body has been seen in the underwater wreckage of the light aircraft which was carrying former Nantes forward Emiliano Sala and his pilot to his new club Cardiff City and which tragically disappeared over the English Channel, according to air accident investigators.
By Abdelaziz Abuhamar
February 1 – Almost no one was expecting the Qatar national team to drive their way through to become the continental champions in the AFC 2019 Asian Cup that completed in the United Arab Emirates Firday night.