Infantino opens 2019 with renewed speculation on 48-team Qatar 2022 World Cup
By Andrew Warshaw
January 2 – Brand new year, same old rhetoric from FIFA about an expanded World Cup in 2022.
Chelsea land Pulisic in €64m deal but park him at Dortmund until next season
January 2 – No sooner has the January transfer window opened than cash-rich Chelsea are the first to strike, landing Borussia Dortmund forward Christian Pulisic for €64 million though loaning him back to the German club until the end of the season.
Afghan FA boss Karim denies sexual abuse charges insisting they are a ‘conspiracy’
January 2 – Banned Afghan football boss Keramuddin Karim (pictured) has broken his silence over allegations of sexual abuse by totally denying wrongdoing and suggesting his accusers may have invented the claims to help their applications for asylum in Europe.
Exclusive: 75% of the UAE Asian Cup 2019 players will be newcomers
By Abdelaziz Abuhamar
January 2 – Out of the 552 players in the Asian Cup 2019, to be staged in the United Arab Emirates from January 5 to February 1, about 75% are taking part in the Asian football showpiece for the first time.
New Year policy rethink? Saudi reshuffle moves Al-Sheikh from sports to entertainment
By Paul Nicholson
January 2 – Saudi Arabia’s controversial Turki Al-Sheikh who as president of the General Sports Authority has involved himself in the international football market and its politics, has had his ministerial position re-organised with a move to chairman of the Entertainment Authority.
Pique builds his portfolio, buying FC Andorra via Kosmos investment vehicle
January 2 – Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has taken control of Spanish lower-league club FC Andorra for an undisclosed sum.
FIFA forced to pay £16.8m to US tout over unsupplied 2014 World Cup tickets
January 2 – FIFA has been hit with a Swiss Supreme Court ruling ordering it to pay $16.8 million plus interest in compensation to US-based ticket broker JB Sports Marketing (JBSM), for World Cup tickets it never received.
Premier League back in hunt for new boss as Dinnage turns down job
January 1 – The search is on again for a new head of the English Premier League after the sudden withdrawal of broadcasting executive Susanna Dinnage before she even started.
UEFA and FIFPro add to condemnation of Inter fans’ monkey chants
January 1 – UEFA and the international players’ union FIFPro have both criticised the match officials for “failing to respect anti-racism protocol” after monkey chants were directed at Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly throughout his team’s 1-0 Serie A loss at Inter Milan on Boxing Day.
Violent and racist Inter fans hit with stadium ban after Boxing Day mayhem vs Napoli
December 28 – The pre-match violence and racist chanting at the Inter Milan vs Napoli match at the San Siro in Milan on Boxing Day have immediately resulted in a ban on Inter fans attending the club’s next two home games.
eSports top games pay out over £130m in prize money. FIFA isn’t one of them
December 28 – The boom in football leagues, federations and clubs entering the esports market is only scratching the surface of the potential of the business if you look at the volumes of prize money paid out in eSports competitions over 2018.
AFC bans Uzbek Mirtimirov for refusing to be interviewed in ethics investigation
December 28 – With the AFC Asian Cup 2019 about to kick off in the UAE where the politicking off the pitch could be as potentially competitive as some of the play on it, the AFC ethics function appears to have fired a warning shot that it is not impotent and that it will observe its own governance rules and use its powers.
Qataris plan a kosher welcome for 2022
December 28 – A New York rabbi says he has been asked by Qatar for advice on how to plan for Jewish fans at the 2022 World Cup, the first to be held in a predominantly Muslim country.
Social game changer: 40m people in Egypt praying for Mo and Liverpool
By Abdelaziz Abuhamar
December 28 – Egypt and Liverpool’s Mohammed Salah is a goal scoring phenomenon. His goal in Wednesday’s win for Liverpool was his 25th in 28 home Premier League games. He has scored 12 goals in 19 games this season. But Mo Salah has become much more than a goal scoring machine.
Cameroon confusion: bumped from 2019 Afcon, Ahmad gives them 2021… for now?
December 28 – Yet another u-turn has been made by the increasingly unconvincing head of African football, Ahmad Ahmad.