Military police swoop on Venezuelan FA HQ
By Mark Baber
June 5 – Following the arrest of its former president Rafael Esquivel in Switzerland, military intelligence raided the headquarters of the Federación Venezolana de Fútbol (FVF).
South America
Leoz under house arrest as US seek 86 year old’s extradition
By Andrew Warshaw
June 2 – Former CONMEBOL powerbroker Nicolas Leoz has been placed under house arrest in his native Paraguay as the FIFA corruption scandal snares yet another alleged culprit.
Brazil’s Del Nero flees Zurich ahead of Congress
By Andrew Warshaw in Zurich
May 28 – The most dramatic election build-up in FIFA history has taken yet another unexpected twist when the head of Brazil’s national federation and a senior FIFA official fled Switzerland a few hours before the ballot.
Heart attack kills Argentinia’s Christian Gomez during match
May 26 – Football has been rocked by yet another tragic incident of a young player unexpectedly losing his life after collapsing during a game, this time in Argentina.
Brazilian clubs look to fan membership and ticket sales to drive revenue
By Samindra Kunti
May 25 – Brazilian top-flight clubs are moving away from a business model with TV rights as a main revenue stream, towards fan membership schemes and ticketing as now generating the bulk of the money. Major clubs Internacional and Cruzeiro highlight this evolution.
Have Brazil sold their football soul to Pitch and personal greed?
By Samindra Kunti
May 19 – In the vicinity of the iconic Arc de Triomphe in Paris’s affluent eighth district, football fans milled about the entrance of the ritzy Hotel du Collectioneur under a slight drizzle late in March. They were looking to get a glimpse of Brazil’s football stars. Chelsea’s Oscar briefly sauntered through the plush lobby, a little casual in his flip-flops. Heads turned and outside pandemonium ensued.
Boca dumped from Copa Libertadores after violence ends River Plate tie
May 18 – Argentine giants Boca Juniors have been thrown out of the Copa Libertadores, South America’s equivalent of the Champions League, after its fans sprayed players from rivals River Plate with an irritant substance during their last-16 tie last week.
Sao Paulo miss player payments again after ‘surprise’ debt is settled
By Samindra Kunti
May 13 – For a second time this season São Paulo is in arrears paying its players. President Carlos Miguel Aidar has confirmed that the club owes its players two months of image rights payments.
Club fears as Argentina losing control of its violent fans
April 21 – Argentina is losing the battle against football hooliganism , according to the president of one of its top clubs. Fans of first division Huracan clashed with police last weekend and an officer was hit in the face by a stone, the latest in a series of violent incidents.
Brazil change top officials with Del Nero replacing Marin
April 17 – Marco Polo Del Nero has officially succeeded Jose Maria Marin as the president of the CBF, the Brazilian Football Confederation.
Arena Amazonia: a football tragedy waiting to happen
By Ricardo Setyon
April 15 – The writing was on wall from the moment the decision was taken to build. The Arena Amazonia – a beautiful and giant stadium, in the heart of Manaus, the capital city of the most important forest on Earth, and constructed for the greatest show on Earth, the FIFA World Cup – has become a monument to Brazilian football’s financial folly. A legacy nightmare.
Brazil’s Carioca turns from love story to horror show as it bleeds to death
By Ricardo Setyon
March 29 – The legend of the Maracanã stadium, with its close to 200,000 people cheering on a Sunday match, is a legend that is disappearing in the mists of time. Gone are the days when Fluminense, Vasco da Gama, Flamengo and Botafogo, would show why Brazilian football and its iconic players enchanted the Brazilian fans and the world.
Marin warns of no quick fix for Brazilian football’s fall from power
By Samindra Kunti
March 20 – Jose Maria Marin, the president of the Brazilian FA, has said that “Brazilian football is going to pass through a very difficult time.”
Paper pushers take over Brasilia’s Garrincha stadium; Romario complains
By Samindra Kunti
March 13 – The Brazilian government has announced that three government secretariats will take office at the Mane Garrincha stadium. Once more, Senator Romario criticized the high costs for the renovation of the stadium.
Corinthians chase €12.6m Sao Paulo city cash promise for stadium build
By Samindra Kunti
March 3 – Corinthians and the city of Sao Paulo are at odds over a development incentive certificate (DIC) for the Arena Corinthians, worth €12.6 million.