February 1 – Africa will compete for four berths at the U-20 World Cup in Poland at this month’s U-20 continental championship in Niger. Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Senegal have a strong case to win the tournament as defending champions Zambia failed to qualify for the finals.
By Paul Nicholson in Abu Dhabi
January 31 – FIFA’s rush to become involved in the civil extradition case of Australian refugee, Bahraini passport holder and part-time football Al-Araibi has again raised questions over the validity and motivations of FIFA’s human rights policy.
By Paul Nicholson
January 31 – Ramon Vega, the former player and businessman who is challenging for the FIFA presidency, has said that lack of financial transparency would be unacceptable in any corporate boardroom anywhere in the world.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 30 – Former Swiss international Ramon Vega has confirmed he is “actively considering” launching a challenge to Gianni Infantino for the Fifa presidency in June.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 29 – FIFA has staged a rare u-turn by reducing the two-year ban on Zambia’s former African Footballer of the Year, Kalusha Bwalya (pictured).
January 29 – Unconfirmed rumours suggest FIFA is thinking about moving its headquarters from Zurich to Paris in the latest power play by Gianni Infantino.
By Samindra Kunti
January 29 – FIFA and the Brazilian Football Association (CBF) have confirmed the release of the money for $100 million 2014 World Cup legacy fund. The world governing body had up to now repeatedly refused to release the money over compliance concerns.
By Paul Nicholson
January 28 – A European rival to Gianni Infantino is preparing an election campaign to topple the FIFA president at the next congress this June in Paris.
January 25 – FIFA has handed a lifetime ban to Niger referee Ibrahim Chaibou for taking bribes in the latest sanction meted out to an African official.
January 15 – Banned Afghan football boss Keramuddin Karim has lost the first crucial stage in his effort to clear his name over allegations of sexual abuse.
January 14 – Gianni Infantino is set to arrive in Marrakesh on Tuesday for the latest of FIFA’s so-called executive summits for regional federations and while there is expected to receive an update on Morocco’s plan to organise the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
January 13 – Danny Jordan (pictured), the public face of the 2010 World Cup, is once again embroiled in controversy following allegations by one of his former rivals within South African football that he helped facilitate a $10 million payment to Concacaf to land the tournament.
January 8 – With his re-election campaign surely very much in mind, Gianni Infantino has embarked on a seven-nation tour of West Africa that started in Guinea last weekend.
By Paul Nicholson
January 2 – Saudi Arabia’s controversial Turki Al-Sheikh who as president of the General Sports Authority has involved himself in the international football market and its politics, has had his ministerial position re-organised with a move to chairman of the Entertainment Authority.
January 2 – FIFA has been hit with a Swiss Supreme Court ruling ordering it to pay $16.8 million plus interest in compensation to US-based ticket broker JB Sports Marketing (JBSM), for World Cup tickets it never received.