By Paul Nicholson
February 11 – The intensive lobbying of African federations for their vote in the upcoming FIFA presidential elections last week saw more use of the ‘Gianni Jet’. This time it was spotted on a Facebook post delivering UEFA-funded candidate Gianni Infantino to Juba in South Sudan.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 11 – One of the original ‘Zurich Seven’ detained in the first wave of arrests in May that kicked off the biggest corruption scandal in the history of FIFA has been refused bail in a Brooklyn court.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 10 – Despite publicly pledging its support for Gianni Infantino at the forthcoming FIFA presidential election, is Russia secretly planning to switch sides and back Bahrain’s Asian football chief Shaikh Salman instead?
By Andrew Warshaw
February 10 – FIFA’s decision to block $20 million of funding to CONMEBOL and CONCACAF, the two confederations at the centre of football’s worst ever corruption crisis, was implemented late last year and approved by acting general secretary Markus Kattner as well as members of the executive committee, Insideworldfootball has learned.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 9 – The increasingly fraught relationship between FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali bin Al Hussein and the official overseeing fair play in the electoral process, Domenico Scala, has come under further strain with the Jordanian demanding Scala steps down because of conflict of interest over nationality.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 9 – FIFA presidential candidate Gianni Infantino’s controversial World Cup expansion plan has suffered its first significant setback, with Europe’s major clubs coming out firmly against any change to the status quo.
By David Owen
February 9 – FIFA Presidency candidate Gianni Infantino hinted last week that if successful in his quest for the top job he might appoint an African general secretary.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 9 – Musa Bility, Liberia’s football leader who was excluded from being a candidate for FIFA president because he failed strict integrity checks, seems determined to do everything in his power to make life difficult for the official who barred him from taking part.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 8 – Banned FIFA president Sepp Blatter will be turned away from the upcoming election to replace him, as well as risk an even more severe sanction, if he dares attend the congress on February 26, Insideworldfootball has learned.
February 8 – Tokyo Sexwale may be clutching at straws but he refuses to give up hope ahead of the FIFA presidential election – for the moment at least.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 5 – African football officials are due to announce later today whether they will formally endorse the only candidate from their Continent in the FIFA presidential race, Tokyo Sexwale, or to back one of the other contenders.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 5 – Banned FIFA president Sepp Blatter could make a defiant farewell appearance at the Congress that will elect his successor – even if he has been unable to clear his name in time.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 4 – FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali bin al-Hussein is back on the offensive, this time over the controversial decision to block $20 million in funding to CONMEBOL and CONCACAF, the two confederations at the centre of football’s worst ever corruption crisis.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 4 – Speculation that Tokyo Sexwale will pull out of the race to become FIFA president has been fuelled by his continuing inability to secure the unequivocal backing of his own South African federation, let alone the African Continent as whole.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 4 – The five rivals running for FIFA president have agreed to hold a private summit in mid-February shortly before the February 26 election to succeed Sepp Blatter, according to FIFA’s Russian powerbroker Vitaly Mutko, one of the most influential figures in European football.