February 10 – Sepp Blatter and the three candidates vying to dethrone him have been successfully vetted, making them eligible to officially battle for the presidency of FIFA on May 29.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 9 – FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s chief legal adviser faces allegations of watering down a key report into reform recommendations in order to spare Blatter from potentially damaging criticism.
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
February 6 – While the three contenders bidding to unseat FIFA president Sepp Blatter fine-tune their tactics, Jerome Champagne, the first to put his name forward more than a year ago, has strengthened his criticism of Europe for deliberately squeezing him out of the race.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 3 – Football’s lawmakers will consider allowing a fourth substitution in extra-time as well as finally doing away with the so-called “triple punishment” when they hold their main annual meeting later this month.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 2 – Sepp Blatter has fired the opening salvo in his bid to remain as FIFA president by pledging that countries with poor human rights records would never again be allowed to stage the World Cup as long as he is in office.
February 2 – FIFA have formally announced that four candidates, including present incumbent Sepp Blatter, are in the running to become president at the election on May 29.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 2 – Jerome Champagne, the first prospective contender to take on Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency, is out of the race after angrily accusing his critics of deliberately blocking his bid to gain sufficient backing.
January 30 – Six European federations have formally endorsed Luis Figo’s bid to become FIFA president, sweeping away any doubts about whether Portugal’s most capped footballer will meet one of the strict criteria for standing.
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
January 30 – The deadline for applications has passed. But the political manoeuvrings and strategic mind games have only just begun. Welcome to another tactical FIFA election process.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 29 – David Ginola’s unlikely bid for the FIFA presidency appeared to be on the brink of collapse even though his Team Ginola website insisted they were “still in it and fighting”.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 29 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter has confirmed that he has submitted his bid to run for re-election a few hours before the deadline for nominations – but has not named the federations backing him.
January 29 – Harold Mayne-Nicholls, who has announced his decision to pull out of the race to stand for FIFA president against Sepp Blatter, has presented a full explanation of his reasoning.
By David Owen
January 29 – It has blossomed into the most densely-populated FIFA Presidential election for at least four decades. Yet for all the big names and razzmatazz it remains, to all intents and purposes, a one-horse race.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 28 – Harold Mayne-Nicholls became the first prospective FIFA presidential candidate to pull of the race to take on Sepp Blatter today – 24 before the deadline for nominations. On the same day Portuguese icon Luis Figo announced his was standing, Mayne-Nicholls told a televised news conference that he had decided against doing the same because he simply didn’t have the necessary credentials.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 28 – Portuguese icon Luis Figo today become the latest surprise candidate – and the second ex- international player – to throw his hat into the ring to become FIFA president. The former Sporting, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan forward joins ex-French international David Ginola, very much a token contender, in a bid to replace Sepp Blatter at the end of May.