By Andrew Warshaw
March 3 – A majority of fans are still worried about corruption in football despite Gianni Infantino’s pledge when he took over as FIFA president a year ago that the crisis was over.
By Paul Nicholson
March 2 – Argentinian football is in a mess and it doesn’t look to be clearing up despite the efforts of a FIFA normalisation committee parachuted in last July to take over the running of the federation and attempt to bring order to the chaos.
March 2 – Palestinian football chief Jibril Rajoub, a hero in his homeland but who has long been accused by his critics of supporting terrorism against Israel, has been denied entry to Egypt in what appears to be a politically-motivated move.
March 2 – World players’ union FIFPro is advising foreign players against joining two of the 12 clubs in Malta’s Premier League after evidence emerged of poor treatment, including youngsters from Nigeria and the United States.
March 2 – The closing of the sale of AC Milan to a Chinese investment group rescheduled for March 3, now looks set to be extended further with club owner Silvio Berlusconi reportedly considering accepting a third, non-refundable, €100 million deposit on the deal.
By Samindra Kunti
March 1 – The Brazilian FA (CBF) has prohibited domestic clubs from playing top flight and division one games outside their state of origin. The ruling will have a dramatic impact on the struggling World Cup stadiums in Manuas, Natal, Cuiaba and Brasilia that have been battling to maintain operations.
March 2 – China’s new restrictions on foreign player quotas in order to boost domestic progress is widely expected to reduce lavish overseas spending.
March 2 – Spanish giants FC Barcelona are reportedly in the final stages of contract negotiation with Qatar Airways for a new four-year sponsorship that will see the club earn €50 million from the airline.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 2 – Harold Mayne-Nicholls, the FIFA-appointed official who led the inspection team that evaluated the credentials of all 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding candidates, is going to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in a last-ditch attempt to clear his name and overturn a three-year ban for seeking unpaid intern work in Qatar for relatives.
March 1 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has renewed its partnership with the German FA (DFB) for another four years. The Memorandum of Understanding between the two bodies was first signed in 2013.
March 1 – Mexican beer brand Modelo has signed a four-year sponsorship deal with CONCACAF that will make it the Official Beer of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, as well as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League.
By David Owen
March 1 – Liverpool, one of five clubs locked in a fight for Champions League places behind runaway Premier League leaders Chelsea, tumbled back into the red in the 2015-16 financial year. The club reported a pre-tax loss of £19.8 million, versus a profit of £60 million last time, when it was the Premiership’s most profitable club.
By Paul Nicholson
March 1 – Controversial Liberian FA president Musa Bility (pictured), excluded from the FIFA presidential race after failing integrity tests, is being accused by a former Liberian FA executive committee member of misappropriating FIFA financial assistance money of more than $1 million. Amongst a raft of claims of financial embezzlement, he is also accused of taking $50,000 of Ebola relief money sent to the Liberian FA and sharing it between committee members.
By Paul Nicholson
March 1 – Delays by FIFA on clearing candidates to stand in the AFC elections for its Council is causing mounting concern amongst Asian member associations that FIFA’s executive function is operating in a far from independent manner.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 1 – Asian football’s governing body has urged FIFA to urgently resolve the festering dispute in the Middle East amid speculation that a call for Israel to be thrown out of world football will be revived in May.