By Ricardo Setyon
December 15 – The recent illness of Pele that kept the Brazilian nation anxiously watching their news bulletins, was also the opportunity for the football legend to announce his latest image rights deal.
December 15 – CONCACAF has announced the shortlists of contenders for its second annual awards recognising the achievements of the region’s men and women players, coaches and referees over the past year.
On the wall outside DYPatil stadium in what is navi Mumbai, the city that has been developed beyond the narrow confines of the south of the island where I grew up, there is a poster which reads: Come on India, let’s football.
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
December 12 – Another of the five senior officials being investigated over the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bid process has protested his innocence and criticised FIFA’s ethics committee for spending so much “energy, money and time” on his case.
By Mark Baber
December 12 – The new Namibia Football Association (NFA) leadership including the new President Frans Mbidi (pictured left) elected last week have been congratulated by FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF) – although the manner in which the vote was held and a walk-out by the main rival candidate and his supporters may spell trouble ahead.
December 12 – UEFA has appointed Dutch legend Clarence Seedorf as the UEFA Global Ambassador for Diversity and Change. Michel Platini introduced Seedorf at a ceremony in Amsterdam at the Olympic Stadium.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
December 12 – The coaches of two of Poland’s leading football sides have called on the Polish Football Federation (PZPN) to reform the Ekstraklasa, the country’s top tier, by expanding it by a further two teams to 18 squads, similarly to the German Bundesliga.
December 12 – Canadian Sonia Denoncourt has been appointed CONCACAF’s Director of Refereeing. Denoncourt’s role will be to head all aspects of referreing and the development of referees across the region, including directing the Heads of Refereeing in the Central American Football Union (UNCAF) and the Caribbean Football Union (CFU).
December 12 – Two Paris St Germain fans are recovering after being stabbed following Wednesday night’s Champions League match against Barcelona at the Nou Camp, heaping even more pressure on Spanish to crack down on violence.
December 12 – Twenty-four days after Hereford United, famous for causing one of the great upsets in English football history, were thrown out of the game following a long and painful battle for survival, the club has been handed a reprieve.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 12 – Vital talks over whether to publish the hotly debated report into possible corruption during the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bid process will take place next week when FIFA’s executive committee is expected to vote on releasing a redacted version of the controversial file.
December 12 – Volgograd’s new football stadium for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, being built on the site of the old Central Stadium, will be completed in November 2017, according to local government officials.
Could this be as good as it gets for the Bundesliga as it challenges its European ‘partners’on the field and off it for European and commercial dominance?
December 12 – Last week UEFA announced it was banning clubs in the annexed Crimea region of Ukraine playing in any Russian-organised football competitions. This week the Russians have announced a 4.5 billion ruble ($83 million) aid package to rebuild Crimean sports infrastructure.
By Alexander Krassimirov
December 12 – The President of the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) Borislav Mihaylov (pictured) has said he has received threatening text messages, possibly from criminal groups linked to match-fixing gangs.