By Andrew Warshaw
March 29 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter, in classic tactical mode, says he is looking forward to hearing what recommendations will be made to clean up his organisation after the most scandal-tainted couple of years in its history.
By Andrew Warshaw at Soccerex in Manchester
March 29 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter suddenly halted a much-lauded whistle blowing programme designed to weed out match-fixing and illegal gambling before it even got off the ground, it has emerged.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 27 – The composition of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the game’s lawmaking body comprising FIFA and the four British Home Associations, was the notable topic of discussion when FIFA’s Strategic Committee met at the start of a week-long series of key sessions ahead of Thursday’s (March 29) Executive Committee meeting.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 27 – An attempt to push through a controversial motion recommending that only confederation heads can in future become FIFA vice-presidents has been shot down, insideworldfootball has learned.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 26 – Mark Pieth (pictured), the Swiss trouble-shooting professor brought in to clean up FIFA, has called for a swift ruling over publication of the eagerly anticipated ISL documents that cite senior FIFA officials for allegedly taking thousands of dollars in kickbacks from World Cup broadcasting deals.
By David Gold
March 23 – FIFA has made its debut on YouTube seeking to make its online content more accessible to football fans across the globe.
By David Gold
March 22 – Lionel Messi (pictured) has overtaken David Beckham as the world’s best paid footballer, after a study revealed he made €33 million (£27.5 million/$52 million) during 2011.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 16 – The voting process that led to Russia and Qatar being selected as hosts for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups has again come under the spotlight, this time as part of FIFA’s own anti-corruption reform programme.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 13 – Two more former FIFA Executive Committee members have, as expected, lost their appeals after being banned for two years on corruption charges during the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
By David Gold
March 9 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter has said that women’s football has a stronger social dimension than the men’s game.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 9 – FIFA has wasted no time defending its position by hitting back at a critical Council of Europe report by declaring there were “certain inaccuracies” in a recommendation calling for an internal investigation of Sepp Blatter’s (pictured) re-election as President last year.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 8 – A key Council of Europe watchdog has questioned FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s (pictured) election victory last year and says more assurances need to be given that it was clean.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 6 – FIFA looks set to bow to pressure from Europe’s top clubs by reducing the number of international fixtures from 2015 and scrapping meaningless friendlies, especially the one in August that coincides with the start of most leagues.
By David Gold
March 5 – FIFA has revealed that over $3 billion (£1.88 billion€2.25 billion) was spent last year on more than 11,500 transfers in the men’s world football market.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 5 – FIFA has been quick to fill the gap to be left in May when Chris Eaton, their director of security, leaves after becoming arguably the game’s most high-profile figure in the battle against global match fixing.