Francois Carrard may well be a thoroughly decent man with thoroughly decent principles. But just when he had the opportunity to prove to an increasingly sceptical outside world that he was the right man to enact robust change at FIFA and herald a brand new dawn of transparency and credibility, he came up woefully and depressingly short.
By Andrew Warshaw
Nvember 5 – Critics of Sepp Blatter have long been calling for his head and while he has certainly been feeling the heat, residents in a small south of England town have taken the burning issue of his alleged role in FIFA’s unprecedented corruption scandal to somewhat incendiary lengths.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
November 5 – Hungary’s MTK has signed a deal with a construction to build the club’s new stadium under a HUF 6.3 billion (€20 million) project. The Nándor Hidegkuti stadium is to be completed by the end of August 2016, two months later than initially planned.
By Mark Baber
November 5 – French-based telecoms company Orange has renewed its partnership with Paris Saint-Germain for another three years.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 5 – The Italian owner of English fourth-tier club Leyton Orient faces extradition to Albania for alleged fraud and money laundering.
November 5 – France’s Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has been questioned by police in a blackmail case surrounding a sex tape, according to French reports.
November 5 – After one of the most unusual and extraordinary cases of misconduct, Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu (pictured), chairman of top-flight Turkish club Trabzonspor, and several of his board members have been given lengthy bans for locking a referee in the dressing room until the early hours of the morning.
By David Owen
November 5 – The other club in Barcelona – Espanyol, currently 10th in La Liga – look poised to fall under Chinese control. The Guangdong-based Rastar Group has said its Hong Kong unit is to buy 45%-56% of the club in a deal valued at up to almost $20 million.
By Paul Nicholson in New York
November 5 – The pay equity issue between men and women’s football could be solved by making the women’s game a much bigger business, said Sunil Gulati, president of the US Soccer Federations (USSF) and a FIFA executive committee member.
By Paul Nicholson in New York
November 5 – Former US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, speaking at the Securing Sport 2015 conference in New York, sent a strong message out on the importance of sport security: securing sport integrity from corruption, securing vulnerable athletes; and securing events from terrorist attack.
By Paul Nicholson in New York
November 5 – The US Department of Justice assault on FIFA has not been motivated by sour grapes over failing to win the bid for the 2022 World Cup, said former US attorney journal Eric Holder who was part of the initial investigation but left his post in April, before the arrests in Zurich and indictments were announce last May.
By Paul Nicholson in New York
November 4 – The first formal steps towards the formation of a worldwide anti-corruption body were announced by Michael Hershman (pictured) in his closing remarks at the Securing Sport 2015 conference.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 4 – Having been kicked from pillar to post by FIFA, metaphorically speaking, Palestine football authorities have now been told once and for all that they will not be able to play a forthcoming World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia on home soil.
By Mark Baber
November 4 – The CIES Football Observatory has released its latest rankings of players in the big-5 European leagues, bringing music to the ears of Arsenal fans who see their players performing particularly strongly – with Santi Cazorla leading in the defensive midfielder category and Mesut Ozil in attacking midfield.
At the head of the tables for the five field positions considered are Nicolas Otamendi (centre backs), Serge Aurier (full backs),
By Andrew Warshaw
November 4 – Pressure is increasing on German Football Association (DFB) chief and FIFA executive committee member Wolfgang Niersbach to stand down following Tuesday’s raid by tax authorities on the DFB’s headquarters as part of an investigation linked to the country’s winning bid for the 2006 World Cup.