FIFA bans Italian officials and players for life for match-fixing
March 9 – FIFA has imposed worldwide bans on ”several officials and players” linked to match-fixing and illegal betting in Italy.
FIFA
French police raid FFF offices as part of Blatter investigation
By Andrew Warshaw
March 9 – The Swiss criminal investigation into Sepp Blatter’s activities has taken a dramatic turn with the news that the offices of the French football federation in Paris have been raided at the request of the Swiss authorities.
Former FIFA chief Linsi sucked into World Cup 2006 cash-for-votes inquiry
By Paul Nicholson
March 8 – The investigation into the German 2006 World Cup bid is dragging in more big names with former FIFA general secretary Urs Linsi (pictured) the latest to be tied to the irregularities.
Dodd uses FIFA Women’s conference to push for attitude change and equality
By Andrew Warshaw
March 8 – Hiring more women to take on decision-making roles must be made a priority by new FIFA president Gianni Infantino if he wants to restore the organisation’s tarnished image. That was the message shouted from the rooftops at the second FIFA women’s football and leadership conference this week.
UEFA referee boss Collina backs video refs and new rule tweaks
March 8 – Former World Cup referee Pierluigi Collina has lent his support to the introduction of video technology trials to assist officials, saying it will end years of frustration.
Esquivel extradited to US leaving just two of ‘Zurich 7’ still in Swiss custody
March 8 – One of the remaining ‘Zurich Seven’, former Venezuela federation president Rafael Esquivel, has been extradited from Switzerland to the United States to face bribery charges in football’s ongoing anti-corruption investigation.
Platini sceptical of video technology questioning vested interest groups
By Andrew Warshaw
March 8 – It didn’t take long for Michel Platini to express his indignation over the decision to trial video technology. No sooner had the International FA Board given the green light for experiments to take place than Platini, still waiting to discover whether he can resume his role as UEFA president after being banned from football, made it clear he would have voted against the move.
Football’s rules get major overhaul to bring them up to modern speed
By Andrew Warshaw
March 7 – After an 18-month study, football’s lawmakers have released the findings of the most extensive and far-reaching review ever undertaken of the laws of the game in order to inject what former World Cup referee David Elleray (pictured) describes as “more commonsense” into the interpretation of the rules.
Beckenbauer rejects 2006 vote buying claims, but the SFr10m question remains
By Andrew Warshaw
March 7 – Franz Beckenbauer has sought to distance himself from the increasingly mysterious SFr10 million payment made during Germany’s 2006 World Cup bid campaign and which ended up in an account controlled by Qatar’s banned former FIFA powerbroker Mohammed bin Hammam.
IFAB and Infantino say move towards video refs is a historic game changer
By Andrew Warshaw in Cardiff
March 6 – In what new FIFA president Gianni Infantino described as an historic move, football’s lawmakers have finally given the green light for trialing video technology in live matches though much still needs to be done before the innovation becomes part of the fabric of the game.
Infantino easyjets into Cardiff to talk football and flex his muscle
By Andrew Warshaw in Cardiff
March 4 – As a statement of intent in terms of doing away with the excesses of the past, Gianni Infantino could hardly have made a more telling start. For his first overseas assignment as the new FIFA president, there was no private jet, no first class travel and not even a scheduled airline as Infantino, exactly a week after being elected in succession to Sepp Blatter,
Germany 2006: No obvious vote buying but money flows pose tough questions
By Paul Nicholson
March 4 – The investigation by law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer into the corruption allegations around the 2006 World Cup has found that there is no clear evidence of vote-buying but does not rule out the possibility.
Hayatou gets cash bonus as reforms prove to be good business
March 2 – Issa Hayatou’s enthusiasm in making sure FIFA’s reform package was passed by Congress last Friday before he stepped down as acting president may be partly explained by the fact that he had a six-figure incentive.
Platini returns to CAS in final attempt to overturn his ban
By Andrew Warshaw
March 2 – As widely anticipated, Michel Platini has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against his suspension from football-related activity as he seeks to annul the sanction upheld by the FIFA appeal committee last week but reduced from eight to six years.
Infantino to push video ref trials at IFAB and sets 2026 and 40-teamWorld Cup agendas
By Andrew Warshaw
March 2 – His old boss at UEFA may have taken a somewhat different view but Gianni Infantino seems likely to approve trials of video technology when he attends the International FA Board meeting in Cardiff later this week, his first official function as the new FIFA president.