May 23 – The United Soccer League (USL), the recently re-categorised and rapidly expanding Division II professional league in the US, is reporting record attendances for the first nine week of its season.
By Paul Nicholson
May 21 – Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) president David Chung has responded to accusations that he rigged his re-election to the Papua New Guinea FA presidency via a statement saying that the election was held according to the statutes. He also refutes allegations that he used FIFA funds to incentivise votes for his candidacy.
By Paul Nicholson
May 19 – David Chung, president of the Oceania Football Confederation as well as the Papua New Guinea FA, is facing a revolution in his home country where a rival faction has established its own federation, is playing its own matches and has more members than the FIFA-recognised federation Chung leads.
May 18 – Trepca ’89 will make history next month when they become the first Kosovan club side to compete in Europe after winning a spot in the Champions League qualifying draw.
May 18 – Winning team captains will no longer lead their players up to the VIP area of stadiums to receive European club trophies.
May 17 – Federal investigators in Germany say they have not found any indications that there was a “terrorist background” to the attack on the Borussia Dortmund team bus on April 11.
May 15 – Spain’s FC Barcelona will launch a team in the US National Women’s Soccer League for the 2018 season. The club, which is targeting brand growth in the US, says the team will strengthen its women’s programme.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 12 – The former Portuguese government minister unceremoniously ditched by FIFA in its clearout of senior governance experts looks set to make an immediate return – down the road at UEFA, FIFA’s biggest rival.
By Andrew Warshaw in Manama, Bahrain
July 10 – Organisers of the three-country north American 2026 World Cup bid insist the bid will be clean and not be faced with any allegations of wrongdoing.
By Samindra Kunti
May 9 – Canada’s Soccer Association has sanctioned the establishment of a Canadian Premier League, allowing the country to operate its own professional league. At the top of the Canadian football administration pyramid Steve Reed will succeed CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani as the Canadian president.
By Paul Nicholson in Manama, Bahrain
May 7 – Hany Abu Rida, the Egyptian FA president who is standing for election to the FIFA Council, arrived in Manama, Bahrain, for the FIFA Congress from Cairo this afternoon (Sunday May 7) on a private jet accompanied by more than 30 of his African federation colleagues.
By Paul Nicholson in Manama, Bahrain
May 7 – The odds – as well as CAF and FIFA – were stacked against him, with few even expecting him to make it to the start line for the African election of its last FIFA Council member. It has been a political process that makes the not-so-long-ago days of Issa Hayatou’s reign as president of the confederation start to look like a model for transparency and equality.
May 7 – Sulley Muntari has had his controversial one-match ban for protesting against racist abuse overturned by Italy’s football authorities but says he was “treated like a criminal” for complaining.
May 5 – Italian football’s reputation around the world has been damaged by the Sulley Muntari affair, the Italian Football Federation’s anti-racism advisor has charged.
May 4 – The Czech football federation says it has been raided by police and its chairman Miroslav Pelta detained in the presence of his lawyer.