By Paul Nicholson
January 23 – The United 2026 World Cup bid heavyweights are on the road, locked and loaded with persuasive arguments and reasoning for why they are the only choice for hosting 2026. Absent were expensive gifts, brown paper bags of cash or even watches (not even Mickey Mouse ones) to shower their voting constituency with. For the faithful, FIFA 2.0 is a serious commitment.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 23 – With precision timing just as their only rivals were holding a media briefing in London, Morocco kickstarted their own 2026 World Cup bid campaign by focusing on legacy and making it clear they would be fighting all the way to the vote in mid-June.
January 23 – Marco Polo del Nero has maintained his total innocence of bribery and corruption laid against him by the United States Justice Department’s FIFAGate inquiry in a cross examination by FIFA’s ethics investigation.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 23 – As anticipated the use of video technology at the World Cup in Russia has moved a step closer though a final decision will not be made until early March.
January 23 – Liberia’s George Weah, the former world footballer of the year who made the remarkable step of switching to politics and going all the way to becoming president of his country, was officially sworn into power on Monday and promised a crackdown on systematic corruption.
January 23 – A ground-breaking agreement between Spanish football and authorities in Saudi Arabia has received a furious rebuke from Spain’s football union which says the arrival of nine Saudi players in La Liga will harm local development and is purely a money-earning exercise.
January 23 – The global leg of the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour sponsored by Coca-Cola kicked off with an official launch ceremony in London on Monday and plans to hit 91 cities across 51 countries and six continents.
By Paul Nicholson
January 23 – Manchester United have kept the title as the world’s highest revenue generating club, again beating Real Madrid in a year in which the Spanish giants won La Liga and the Champions League.
January 23 – Newcastle United has removed online betting firm FUN88 from the club’s youth team shirt. The sponsor’s logo was deemed by the club as a potential breach of FA regulations and comes after growing pressure on the UK government to look harder at the gambling advertising from betting companies in broadcast media and club sponsorships.
By Paul Nicholson
January 22 – Allegations of match-fixing are still blighting Greek football with clubs complaining that the promised clean-up has not happened and that referees appointments are being influenced and that in turn is manipulating results.
January 22 – With US Soccer president Sunil Gulati and CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani about to begin their charm offensive in Europe for the North American bid for the 2026 World Cup, Gulati has been hit with new problems.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 22 – The head of Norway’s FA has called on FIFA to step up its investigation into the Russian doping scandal and even consider a ban, comments that have prompted a furious response from his Russian counterpart.
January 22 – In a ground-breaking agreement between Spanish football and authorities in Saudi Arabia, nine Saudi players will dispute the remainder of the season in La Liga, according to local reports.
January 22- The newly-elected head of the Kuwait Football Association has welcomed the appointment of a normalisation committee to oversee the county’s re-entry as a FIFA member following its suspension in 2015.
July 19 – The confirmed speaker line-up for the Tackling Matchfixing conference, March 9-10, has been released. The conference, to be held at the Chelsea Harbour Hotel with a Gala Dinner at Stamford Bridge on March 9, is now open for registration.