By Andrew Warshaw
March 10 – The head of the Asian Football Confederation says western criticism of Qatar as World Cup hosts is being overplayed and, in some cases, has “crossed the line.”
March 10 – In what was viewed as a vital test case in terms of freedom of expression, charges have been dropped against three Tottenham Hotspur fans who were facing prosecution for chanting the word ‘Yid’ at matches despite almost certainly using the term in a non-derogatory way.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 10 – FIFA executive committee member Worawi Makudi’s controversial re-election as head of Thailand’s FA (FAT) is being taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Last October after months of in-fighting about election rules, Makudi defeated former national team manager Virach Chanpanich 42-28 in a secret ballot.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 10 – The tax evasion trial of Bayern Munich President Uli Hoeness gets under way today, the culmination of a scandal that has rocked German football though it has done little to affect the blistering form of the club itself on the field.
By Alexander Krassimirov
March 10 – Bulgaria’s Lokomotiv Plovdiv have released their administrative director, Atanas Uzunov, accusing him of “political games”. The board of Lokomotiv claims that he used his official position to “influence the supporters of the club and they participate in political actions against the government of country.”
By Paul Nicholson
March 7 – The on-off-on international friendly between Ukraine and the US, switched to a Cypriot venue, ended in a morale boosting 2-0 win for the Ukranians. Now the Ukraine FA has announced that its domestic league will restart on March 15.
By Alexander Krassimirov
March 7 – Portuguese giants Benfica have agreed to reduce their fee to €200,000 to participate in an exhibition game against Levski Sofia to mark the Bulgarian club’s 100th anniversary.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 7 – There have been more indications – this time from the clubs – that no decision on moving the 2022 Qatar World Cup from the heat of the Gulf summer will be taken until next year.
March 7 – The English Football Association is reported to be considering whether to appeal against the five-match ban imposed by an independent commission on former French international striker for his infamous ‘quenelle’ gesture on the basis that it was too leniant.
March 7 – A Vietnam international defender has been handed what is reported to be record 28-game ban for an horrendous tackle that broke the leg of an opponent in a domestic league match.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 7 – Carson Yeung, the Hong Kong barber-turned-businessman who appeared to have amassed a fortune when he moved into English football by buying Birmingham City, has been jailed for six years for money laundering.
By Alexander Krassimirov
March 7 – Bulgaria’s Botev Plovdiv has unveiled a new set of pans for the building of the Hristo Botev stadium, where the club will play its home games. The stadium reconstruction should be completed in 2015.
March 7 – Mexican top tier club Gallos Blancos de Queretaro looks certain to be caught up in a government investigation into a corporate money laundering. The chief executive of Oceanografia, an oil services company being investigated by Mexican authorities, is the owner of the Gallos Blancos.
By David Owen
March 6 – The financial consequences of a disastrous 2012-13 season for Queens Park Rangers, the west London club majority-owned by Tony Fernandes and partners, have been spelt out in grisly detail.
By Paul Nicholson
March 6 – Less than a year after FIFA ordered the Antigua and Barbuda FA (ABFA) to re-run its elections, the Caribbean federation has again landed itself in trouble and been sanctioned for financial impropriety. This is not the first time the federation or its officials have found themselves in trouble over money.