Russian roulette? How FIFA dodged the Kuwait/Indonesian vote bullet
By Andrew Warshaw
March 1 – What would have happened if only one or two votes had separated the winner and runner-up in Friday’s FIFA election vote?
Author: Paul Nicholson
Sandrock quits German FA as DFB prepares for new president and 2006 bid report
By Andrew Warshaw
March 1 – Just a few days before the release of an eagerly awaited internal report into slush fund allegations surrounding Germany’s successful 2006 World Cup bid, another senior German FA official has left his position, fuelling speculation that the report could produce explosive findings.
Greece’s Theodoridis favourite to reach Olympian heights at UEFA
By Andrew Warshaw
March 1 – UEFA are set to appoint Theodore Theodoridis as their interim general secretary to replace Gianni Infantino later this week, a somewhat controversial choice given his family’s alleged links with match-fixing.
Spurs’ Dele Alli racks up the mileage to head his year group across Europe
February 29 – A ranking of the players who have made the most domestic league appearances since the start of their adult career shows English Premier League players occupying 15 of the 20 age group categories.
Olympiacos in suspicious Europa League match as RTL ask the Marinakis-question
By Matt Scott
February 29 – The Northern Irish referee Arnold Hunter has been drawn in to the match-fixing scandal surrounding Olympiacos over his performance in Anderlecht’s 2-1 Europa League win over the Greek champions last Thursday night.
Moshiri dumps Arsenal shares to buy Everton stake
By Mark Baber
February 29 – Everton will have a new major shareholder after Iranian-British billionaire Farhad Moshiri on Friday sold his shares in Red and White Holdings to his business partner Alisher Usmanov before it was announced on Saturday that he would be acquiring 49.9% of Everton, conditional on Premier League approval.
FIFA keeps hold of Brazil’s $92m until CBF shows ‘reform’
By Samindra Kunti
February 29 – FIFA is to maintain its freeze on distributing any money to the Brazilian football association, the CBF, until the federation gets its house in order.
Andrew Warshaw: Gunfight at the ‘It’ll-all-be-OK’ corral
Fortune favours the brave. Or in Gianni Infantino’s case, being in the right place at the right time.
FIFA puts its past behind it and opens a $129m museum
February 29 – Following the hurly burly of the FIFA presidential election at Zurich’s Hallenstadion FIFA’s new chief Gianni Infantino attended his first official public function across town at the opening of the SFr 130 million ($129 million) FIFA Museum project.
Money talks: Infantino and exco members to get pay grade cuts
By Andrew Warshaw
February 29 – Gianni Infantino will earn less than his disgraced predecessor Sepp Blatter when he takes on the job of reforming FIFA, Insideworldfootball has learned. And whoever becomes his second in command will have to accept a smaller pay packet than former secretary general Jerome Valcke who, like Blatter, is banned from the game.
Old boss Blatter watches Zurich feeding frenzy from a different place
February 29 – Sepp Blatter says a weight has been lifted from his shoulders and that he is at peace with himself – even though he has left FIFA under the darkest of clouds.
Brave new world, same old problems. FIFPro and ECA put pressure on
February 29 – Whilst most stakeholders were quick to congratulate Gianni Infantino after his presidential election victory, the international players’ union FIFPro took a rather more negative approach, suggesting little would be done for those who actually play the game.
Infantino wins FIFA presidency in second round of voting
By Andrew Warshaw in Zurich
February 26 – Gianni Infantino secured a surprise second-round victory over Asian football supremo Sheikh Salman today to become the ninth Fifa president following Sepp Blatter’s 18-year reign and keep the post in European hands.
Voting goes to second round with Infantino and Salman neck and neck
By Andrew Warshaw in Zurich
February 26 – The FIFA presidential election as expected moved into a second round of voting today as none of the four remaining candidates in the race after Tokyo Sexwale’s withdrawal managed to achieve the required two-thirds majority.
Chinese wall broken with central powers handed to federation
By Samindra Kunti
February 26 – The Chinese Football Association (CFA) will have more decision-making latitude as the government-run Chinese Football Administrative Center has been removed from the Chinese football structure in a sweeping move to reform the game in China.