By Andrew Warshaw
January 9 – Argentina and Barcelona wizard Lionel Messi as expected was crowned World Player of the Year at a glittering FIFA gala in Zurich tonight – picking up the Ballon d’Or award for the third year running.
By Duncan Mackay
January 10 – A British Parliamentary Committee is investigate whether enough is being done to combat racism in football after incidents involving high-profile players, including England and Chelsea captain John Terry.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 9 – Jeff Webb (pictured right with Sepp Blatter), the man leading the effort to put Caribbean football back on its feet after months of scandal, is also being lined up as the next President of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) to replace controversial former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner.
By Tom Degun
January 9 – Police have launched an investigation after Scottish Premier League (SPL) player Grégory Tadé (pictured) suffered racist abuse on the social media site Twitter.
By Alan Hubbard
January 8 – Sir Clive Woodward (pictured) has joined the call for Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Redknapp to become the England football manager after Euro 2012.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 9 – Three investigative journalists who have been probing FIFA conduct over a number of years have spelled out why they have snubbed an offer to take part in Sepp Blatter’s reform programme.
By Duncan Mackay
January 8 – A proposal to allow female Muslim footballers to wear the hijab during matches has been criticised by several groups in France, who have written to FIFA President Sepp Blatter to protest.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 6 – A week after bombshell allegations by former powerbroker Jack Warner, FIFA have hit back in an escalation of the bitter war of words between the two parties.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 6 – Almost exactly a year after joining the FIFA hierarchy, Jordan’s Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein (pictured) looks like becoming one of the most influential figures on the world stage.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 6 – FIFA has lifted its threat to suspend Switzerland from all domestic and international football following the Swiss Football Association’s (SVF) decision to dock 36 points from rebel club Sion.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 5 – The man leading the fight against worldwide match fixing has described the scale of the problem as “frightening” and reiterated his determination to beat the criminals.
By David Gold
January 5 – Almost 57,000 women and children have watched Turkish league football this season for free, the country’s Football Federation (TFF) has claimed.
By David Gold
January 4 – Supporters of Turkish champions Fenerbahçe, who have been heavily implicated in the country’s match fixing scandal, have called on the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) not to alter a rule which could relegate the club.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 4 – Wales will play Costa Rica in a memorial match for former manager Gary Speed who tragically took his own life in November at the age of 42.
By David Gold
January 4 – Eli Guttman (pictured) has been announced as the new Israeli national team coach, replacing Frenchman Luis Fernández, who left after a disappointing Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.
