Scenting blood: FIFA investigators to appeal for longer bans for Blatter and Platini
By Andrew Warshaw
January 12 – Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, fighting to clear their names, could end up being banned foreven longer than eight years.
FIFA
TV presidential debate scrapped as candidates juggle schedules
By Andrew Warshaw
January 12 – A proposed live television debate featuring the five FIFA presidential candidates has been scrapped because only two of them were able to accept an invitation to take part.
Messi crowned world’s best player, Real and Barca dominate team of year
January 12 – Amidst all the usual glitz and glamour and the emphasis on business as usual, two men were conspicuous by their absence at the annual Ballon d’Or award ceremony on Monday night.
Time for FIFA to have a black president, says Sexwale
By Andrew Warshaw
January 12 – FIFA presidential candidate Tokyo Sexwale says Sepp Blatter’s misconduct should be put into perspective and has praised the work of the outgoing veteran Swiss, currently fighting his eight-year ban.
FIFA extend Makudi ban, removing him from Thai FA elections
By Andrew Warshaw
January 11 – From day one he has protested his innocence but the net appears to be closing in on Thailand’s controversial former FIFA executive committee member Worawi Makudi.
Blatter and Platini start appeals journey; first stop FIFA
By Andrew Warshaw
January 11 – Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini have been given the all-clear to launch appeals against their eight-year bans after FIFA’s ethics committee sent them full written reasons for the judgements.
Argentina and Uruguay unveil plan to bid for 2030 World Cup
By Samindra Kunti
January 8 – South American football powerhouses Argentina and Uruguay will jointly bid to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup. State presidents Mauricio Macri (Argentina) and Tabare Vazquez (Uruguay) made the announcement yesterday at a press conference. Uruguay hosted the inaugural edition of the tournament in 1930.
Video refs take a big step towards making football debut
By Andrew Warshaw
January 8 – The 2020 European Championship finals, taking place in 13 venues across the Continent, looks set to become the first major tournament to embrace video replays, arguably the most ground-breaking law change in the history of the game.
Platini quits race for FIFA presidency but continues battle to clear his name
By Andrew Warshaw
January 9 – The dream is finally over. Faced with the growing realisation that time is running out, Michel Platini, only a few weeks ago odds-on favourite to succeed Sepp Blatter, has been forced to withdraw from the FIFA presidential election.
FIFA throws the book at Valcke over alleged rule breaking
By Andrew Warshaw
January 7 – FIFA’s ethics committee has opened formal proceedings against Jerome Valcke after investigators recommended a nine-year ban against the organisation’s 55-year-old general secretary.
Prince Ali says February vote is last chance to avoid FIFA catastrophe
By Andrew Warshaw
January 6 – Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, the Jordanian royal who has put his reputation on the line by taking a second stab at the FIFA presidency, has warned that if the wrong man is appointed to succeed Sepp Blatter, the organisation faces a catastrophic future.
FIFA Ethics investigators complete Valcke probe and recommend 9-year ban
By Andrew Warshaw
January 6 – Jerome Valcke, the forgotten man in the FIFA corruption scandal who has been out of the game since being relieved of his duties as general-secretary back in October, faces a far longer spell on the sidelines following the recommendation of a nine-year ban by FIFA’s ethics committee.
Exclusive: Champagne makes his case for presidential role
By Andrew Warshaw
January 5 – He is regarded as an outsider and has been accused of being verbose and too close to his former boss, the currently banned Sepp Blatter. But Jerome Champagne has lost none of his passion or approachability and believes that if football, and FIFA, wants meaningful change and an inclusive future, he is the only presidential candidate who can bring it about.
Bility loses CAS appeal to re-enter FIFA race
January 3 – Liberia Football Association chairman Musa Bility (pictured) has failed to overturn his exclusion from February’s FIFA presidential election. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed Bility’s attempt to throw out the ruling imposed by FIFA’s Ad hoc Electoral Committee.
Salman launches manifesto with promise to make the FIFA Phoenix rise from the ashes
By Paul Nicholson
December 30 – Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa has launched his FIFA presidential campaign platform formally with a website outlining his election manifesto.