By Andrew Warshaw
October 23 – A few hours before staging its glittering annual Best Awards ceremony, FIFA has come under attack for naming a little-known striker on its female player-of-the-year shortlist.
October 23 – Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has been invited to next year’s World Cup by Russian president Vladimir Putin and says he will accept even though he is still banned for six years after being found guilty of authorising a “disloyal payment” of $2 million to then UEFA president Michel Platini.
October 23 – Guangzhou Evergrande won their seventh consecutive Chinese Super League (CSL) title on Sunday after they beat Guizhou Hengfeng 5-1 and second-placed Shanghai SIPG lost 2-1 to Guangzhou R&F.
October 23 – The issues surrounding the controversial payments made by the German FA (DFB) to FIFA as part of a so-called ‘slush find’ to buy votes for the 2006 World Cup just won’t go away.
October 23 – Japanese manufacturer Molten Corporation has signed a three-year agreement to become the official match ball supplier for the Europa League.
October 23 – UEFA has ordered the partial closure of Spartak Moscow’s stadium for their next European home match as punishment for the latest outbreak of racist behaviour by supporters, this time towards Liverpool striker Bobby Adekanye during a Youth League match last month.
October 23 – Eight Uruguayan league games, including a clash between frontrunners Penarol and Defensor, were cancelled at the weekend in an ongoing dispute between players and administrators over image rights.
October 23 – Retired Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt says he wants to pursue his dream of playing professional football but admits he will not “embarrass” himself.
By Samindra Kunti in Guwahati and Kolkata
October 23 – England progressed to the last four of the U-17 World Cup for the first time in history with a commanding 4-1 win over the United States. Mali, Spain and Brazil complete the semi-final quartet, but the African champions’ qualification was overshadowed by diabolical playing conditions in a rain-soaked Guwahati.
October 23 – LA Galaxy and Southern New Hampshire University are launching their first week-long Galaxy STEAM programme at the StubHub Center with the aim of improving the educational experience of 250 local middle-schoolers across Los Angeles.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 20 – The head of the umbrella body representing European leagues went back on the offensive today over the gap between rich and poor saying it would be a “real disaster” if UEFA fails to address future competitive balance in its club tournaments.
October 20 – Manchester United pocketed €44.5 million of the more than €423.1 million in payments from UEFA for winning the 2016/17 Europa League. 56 clubs shared in the payments that were increased from the €411.1 million distributed in 2015/16.
October 20 – FIFA says it has struck a deal which it hopes will lead to world players’ union FIFPro withdrawing a legal complaint against the transfer system at the European Commission (EC).
October 20 – Danny Jordaan, the public face of the 2010 South Africa World Cup and head of his national association, has sensationally been accused of rape by a well-known singer and one-time parliamentarian.
By Paul Nicholson
October 20 – A Brooklyn federal judge has granted the request by prosecutors to keep juror names secret and for the jurors to be sequestered during the trial of Jose Maria Marin, Juan Angel Napout and Manuel Burga – the former bosses of Brazilian, Paraguayan and Peruvian football – whose trial begins on November 6.