By Paul Nicholson
October 20 – In response to allegations and evidence that he promised confidentiality to those interviewed in his investigation of the bidding process for 2018 and 2022, FIFA’s chief ethics investigator, Michael Garcia, has told German news magazine Der Spiegel that the wording is merely a “standard statement”.
By Mark Baber
October 20 – FIFPro Division America Secretary General David Paniagua has announced that FIFPro will be asking South American confederation Conmebol tomorrow to exclude clubs that are in debt to their players from its competitions, including the Copa Libertadores de América and the Copa Sudamericana.
October 20 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has ordered Myanmar to play its next competitive game behind closed doors, suspended for two years, and has fined the national federation $24,000 as a result of a pitch invasion following last week’s 1-0 AFC under-19 Championship quarter-final win over the United Arab Emirates in Yangon.
October 20 – UEFA president Michel Platini, not averse to coming up with fresh ideas for enhancing the game – some of which have their critics as well as their supporters – has thrown out another proposal: white cards to mean sinbins for players who harass referees to protest decisions.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 20 – FIFA is to step up its global awareness drive highlighting the threat of the Ebola virus which has killed more than 4,500 people and has placed next year’s African Cup of Nations in serious jeopardy.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 20 – The troubled African Cup of Nations has received a further blow with the news that South Africa, which has already stepped in twice to rescue the tournament in recent years, may not be willing to do so again.
By David Owen
October 19 – The French Professional Football League (LFP) intends to set up a commercial support department to spread best practice among the country’s leading clubs. Mathieu Ficot, the LFP’s chief commercial officer, made the disclosure in an interview with INSIDEworldfootball.
Has Europe given up on FIFA? The question is raised by what seems to have been a particularly productive month for Michel Platini, President of UEFA, the European football body.
By David Owen
October 18 – UEFA President Michel Platini will go to Rome next week to discuss the body’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) initiative with European Union (EU) sports ministers.
By David Owen
October 17 – The new Stade Vélodrome, complete with undulating white roof, has been inaugurated in front of the new French Sports Minister in the southern French city of Marseille.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 17 – The German judge overseeing FIFA’s investigation into possible corruption surrounding the 2018 and 2022 World Cup ballot has re-iterated once and for all that the 430-page report submitted to him cannot be published in full for legal reasons.
By Mark Baber
October 17 – Arsenal’s AGM held on Thursday was a happy affair, following the club’s FA Cup triumph and sound financial figures. Arsene Wenger scotched rumours of a move to Monaco and reiterated he intends to buy a defender in January, but the club was keen to stress suggestions of a £200 million cash pile are well wide of the mark.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
October 17 – Pandurii Targu Jiu has announced plans to invest about €15 million to expand and modernise its stadium. The Romanian club is aiming to launch the project in 2015, and carry out the construction over the following 18 months.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 17 – The race in Asia for a place at FIFA’s top table has been stepped up with the announcement that Malaysian FA president Prince Abdullah Shah will contest next year’s election for a position on FIFA’s executive committee.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 17 – Once again a new venue looks like being needed for the African Cup of Nations after next year’s hosts Morocco reportedly pulled out because of fears over the Ebola virus.