By Andrew Warshaw in Manama, Bahrain
April 30 – Asia’s most influential sports official, Kuwait’s Sheikh Ahmad al Fahad Al Sabah, extended his burgeoning power base by joining FIFA’s inner sanctum today but the anticipated move into world football was not without controversy.
April 30 – Brazil have joined England in sending teams to the Caribbean this August for the second CONCACAF Boys’ Under-15 Championship that now has grown to a 37-nation tournament.
By Matt Scott
April 30 – Greek football has been in the grip of a match-fixing and corruption culture for 20 years, a special Insideworldfootball investigation has found. But, as the stakes have risen with the increasing riches available in football, in recent seasons the system of match manipulation has reached breaking point.
By Matt Scott
April 30 – Greek football has been apparently spared expulsion from all international competitions after a last-ditch trip to Athens by UEFA’s general secretary, Gianni Infantino on Wednesday.
By Andrew Warshaw in Manama, Bahrain
April 30 – There was no standing ovation and no prolonged clapping, rather warm and respectful applause. But that might have been because the FIFA president was preaching to the converted. In his final appearance before regional bodies ahead of next month’s presidential election, Sepp Blatter produced an uncharacteristically low-key address to the 47-nation Asian Football Confederation congress today, in contrast to some of the vibrant language delivered elsewhere on his travels over the past few weeks.
April 30 – CONCACAF is to assign an integrity officer to each of the teams in this July’s Gold Cup, the confederation’s premier national team tournament. The officers will travel and stay with the teams to discourage approaches from match-fixers.
By Matt Scott
April 29 – Gianni Infantino has hit back at accusations in Greece that UEFA has sat idly by while corruption at the heart of the Hellenic Football Federation destroys the game from within.
By Paul Nicholson
April 29 – The second leg of the CONCACAF Scotiabank Champions League final kicks off tonight in Montreal in front of a sell out crowd. Last week the first leg of the final between Club America and Montreal Impact ended even at 1-1 in front of an estimated 80,000+ spectators in Mexico City’s iconic Azteca Stadium.
By Matt Scott
April 29 – Some of the most senior figures in Greek club football have begged UEFA and FIFA to assist the Syriza government in tackling the institutional corruption that is defiling the Super League.
By Samindra Kunti
April 29 – Dutch club Feyenoord faces an UEFA-imposed fine of €50,000 and playing its next European match behind closed doors after a “racist incident” during this season’s Europa League tie between Feyenoord and AS Roma.
By Mark Baber
April 29 – Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, second and third in the Spanish League and last year’s Champions League finalists, are due to be punished by FIFA for breaches of the FIFA regulations on transfers of minors which were designed to prevent child trafficking, according to reports in the Spanish media.
By Alexander Krassimirov
April 29 – A former striker for Atletico Madrid and former Bulgarian coach Lyuboslav Penev (pictured) has taken on the job of head coach at one of the country’s biggest clubs, CSKA Sofia – unpaid. Penev will work without salary for the remaining five games of the season when his contract will expire.
By Andrew Warshaw in Manama, Bahrain
April 28 – Forty-eight hours before far-reaching elections that could shape the future of Asian football, Qatar’s bid for a place at the top table of FIFA was withdrawn today after its federation vice-president Saud Al Mohannadi pulled out of the running, fuelling the prospect of a powerful alliance between the Continent’s two most influential sports officials.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
April 28 – Steaua Bucharest’s controversial owner Gigi Becali has announced he will not seek to win the forthcoming auction of the club’s badge which is owned by the Romanian Armed Forces. Instead the businessman, who is currently serving a prison sentence for corruption, kidnapping and match-fixing, says that he wants to focus the club’s efforts on securing new transfers for the 2015/16 season and potential UEFA Champions League qualification.
By Mark Baber
April 28 – The Spanish Football League (LFP) has continued its journey into China to sign sponsorship partners with the announcement of a deal with Snow Beer, China’s biggest beer brand, which will allow the Chinese brand to incorporate LFP branding and player images in its advertising in Asia.