FIFA Archives - Page 130 of 210 - Inside World Football

Innocent until proven guilty? FIFA bans Qatari from AFC elections at last minute

Saud Al Mohannadi

By Paul Nicholson

September 26 – FIFA has stepped into the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) elections for the FIFA Council and banned Qatari FA vice president Saoud Al-Mohannadi (pictured) from standing. The last minute intervention will again raise questions about the FIFA politics in play as FIFA’s new mandarins and president Gianni Infantino surround themselves with people who can be aligned to their interests.

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FIFA scrap anti-discrimination task force. Job done?

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By Andrew Warshaw

September 26 – You couldn’t really make it up. Well maybe you could. After all, this is FIFA. Ever since football’s world governing body launched its much-trumpeted reform programme, one of the key messages it has been so keen to promote is that it will no longer tolerate racism and discrimination. A major priority. Zero tolerance. No more prevarication.

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FIFA ethics accused of political agenda as AFC elections to Council heat up

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By Paul Nicholson and Andrew Warshaw

September 23 – One of Qatar’s highest-ranking officials is persuing his bid to join FIFA’s inner circle, despite having a FIFA ethics investigation recommending a two-year ban imposed on him and a verdict on his proposed sanction still to be handed down.

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A question of compliance. Did FIFA’s new audit chief Vesel fail eligibility rules?

By Andrew Warshaw

September 23 – Doubts have been raised over whether FIFA’s new audit and compliance chief Tomaz Vesel is eligible for the job and whether FIFA president Gianni Infantino may have worked behind the scenes to manoeuvre the Slovenian into the role vacated in May by Domenico Scala.

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Iran end Brazil’s Futsal hopes at World Cup, Spain march on

By Samindra Kunti

September 22 – Iran knocked out defending world champions Brazil after a penalty shoot-out in the second round of the 2016 Futsal World Cup in Colombia. The surprise elimination brought to an end the international career of Falcao, arguably the greatest futsal player of all-time.

Development

Kali becomes first sending off victim of video ref in Dutch Cup trial

September 22 – The Dutch FA, the KNVB, have completed their first official ‘live’ test of the Video Assistant Referees (VAR) during the Dutch Cup game between Ajax Amsterdam and Willem II. The Tilburg midfielder Anouar Kali became the first player to get sent off via a ruling from the ‘video assistant referee’ (VAR).

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Infantino’s ethics hire and fire rule unpopular as Hansen calls for UEFA bid transparency

By Andrew Warshaw

September 20 – Gianni Infantino’s regime has come under renewed criticism over the already infamous ruling allowing members of FIFA’s new-look Council, supposedly a key element of FIFA’s reform process, to hire and fire independent governance officials.

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PwC moves into FIFA audit hot-seat

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By David Owen

September 17 – PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) have stepped into the hot-seat vacated by KPMG as statutory auditors of FIFA. The world football body announced that the Bureau of the FIFA Council had appointed PwC Switzerland to the role.

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Infantino denies any UEFA lobbying and condemns ‘undermining’ of Russia and Mutko

Gianni Infantino1

By Andrew Warshaw

September 16 – Gianni Infantino, back in the comfort of his own patch after attending the UEFA presidential election in Athens where Aleksander Ceferin was elected in succession to Michel Platini, has dismissed as “imagination and lies” any idea that he lobbied behind the scenes in favour of the previously little-known Slovenian who critics claim Infantino was keen to control.

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Barcelona chiefs drop into FIFA House to visit with President Infantino

By Paul Nicholson

September 16 – While UEFA’s executive committee were yesterday finding out that it was too late to change the new structure agreed for Champions League qualification that favours Europe’s big four leagues and their biggest clubs, a high level delegation from one of the biggest of those clubs, FC Barcelona, was meeting FIFA president Gianni Infantino at FIFA headquarters in Zurich.

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Christillin raises issue of clichéd lesbian ‘image’ but says focus must be on equality

By Andrew Warshaw in Athens

September 15 – Europe’s newly elected female representative on FIFA’s ruling council says she hopes to change opinions about women’s football – not least false perceptions about the sexuality of some of the players.

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Brazil move up rankings, Wales and Uruguay in top 10, Spain and Italy drop

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September 15 – The latest FIFA national team rankings shows some significant changes after an international fixture schedule that saw 61 qualifiers played for World Cup Russia 2018, and a further 26 matches in continental qualifying competitions.

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What ban? Platini cleared to address UEFA’s elective Congress

By Andrew Warshaw

September 12 – In a staggering ruling that will only serve to undermine its credibility and fuel accusations of double standards, FIFA’s ethics committee today gave Michel Platini permission to make a farewell speech at Wednesday’s election to replace him as UEFA president.

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Webb eventually banned but investigations continue into the wider web

Jeffrey Webb 25

By Andrew Warshaw

September 9 – It will hardly come as a surprise since he was not planning on making a comeback. The question is, why did it take so long? The life ban imposed last week on former FIFA vice-president and CONCACAF boss Jeffrey Webb, the toughest possible FIFA sanction, was the final damaging blow to the Cayman Islands banker who was once held up a bastion of fair play and touted as a possible president of world football’s governing body.

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FIFA open formal probe into $80m paid out to Blatter, Valcke and Kattner

By Paul Nicholson and Andrew Warshaw

August 9 – FIFA’s ethics investigators have opened a formal investigation into the $80 million in pay rises and bonuses that former FIFA top brass Sepp Blatter, Jérôme Valcke and Markus Kattner awarded themselves over a five year period until they were suspended or fired by the governing body.