Infantino pledges support to rebuild Sudan’s football culture
February 23 – Gianni Infantino’s African roadshow landed in Sudan on Monday, where the FIFA boss pledged more support for the north African country.
FIFA
Infantino keeps up the pace and politics as he criss-crosses Africa
By Samindra Kunti
February 22 – On his pan-African tour, FIFA boss Gianni Infantino, addressing the general assembly of the Council of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA), in South Africa, called on African teams to step up and leave a mark on the 2026 World Cup, the first global finals to be staged in a 48-team format.
FIFA’s Wenger warns UEFA it could kill its Champions League with new format plans
February 19 – Arsene Wenger, FIFA’s Chief of Global Development since the end of 2019, has hit out at proposals to overhaul the Champions League, warning that fans will be turned off if the competition is watered down.
Out in Africa: Infantino manoeuvres through CAF, Rwanda and SA pre-CAF elections
February 19 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s latest stop on his tour of Africa during the global health crisis – Africa’s football governance is similarly facing a major health crisis – has been the Central African Republic.
Africans jostle for FIFA ranking position as nations prepare for major competitions
February 19 – FIFA have released their first World Ranking of 2021 but in a period where only 43 full internationals were played, the top of the 32 places in the rankings remain unchanged with only the African nations showing movement.
beIN’s Al-Khelaifi slams Swiss prosecutor’s appeal as a publicity stunt
By Andrew Warshaw
February 18 – Paris St Germain supremo Nasser Al-Khelaifi has hit back at the decision by Swiss prosecutors to appeal his acquittal on accusations of aggravated criminal mismanagement regarding the allocation of World Cup TV rights.
FIFA report shows January transfer market fell off a $1.16bn cliff to $590m
By Paul Nicholson
February 18 – FIFA has released an international ‘Transfer Market Snapshot’ report that shows the impact of the pandemic on player movement is “even more severe” than it 2020 Global Transfer report.
Infantino puts record straight over Qatari handshake reports
February 16 – Gianni Infantino insists he was not the person responsible for instructing female referees not to greet a Qatari sheikh during last week’s Club World Cup medal ceremony.
Palmeiras coach demands CBF transparency on rumoured Caboclo/Infantino calendar deal
February 16 – CBF president Rogerio Caboclo has rejected renewed criticism from Palmeiras coach Abel Ferreira over Brazil’s congested club calendar.
Former football powerbroker al-Sabah to face Swiss trial for plot to discredit Kuwait government
February 15 – Olympic powerbroker Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah (pictured), once a major player at FIFA, will go on trial in Switzerland this month in a long-standing forgery case linked to Kuwait’s royal family.
Bayern make it six titles with Club World Cup win over Tigres
February 12 – Bayern Munich’s remarkable run of success under Hansi Flick reached another significant milestone on Thursday when they became Club World Cup champions to add to their domestic and European crowns.
Bayern Munich line-up Tigres at CWC to complete clean sweep of championship titles
February 11 – European champions Bayern Munich have the opportunity to become only the second club after Barcelona to win all six domestic and international titles in a season when they take on Tigres UANL from Mexico in the Club World Cup final.
Haiti sexual abuse scandal deepens as FIFA suspends referees’ boss Grant
February 11 – FIFA has suspended the Haitian Football Federation’s head of referees, Rosnick Grant, for 90 days as it continues to investigate allegations of sexual abuse.
Release rule quarantined: FIFA says clubs can hold on to players in March window
February 9 – FIFA is extending until the end of April its relaxation of the rules that force clubs to release players for international duty.