By Andrew Warshaw
October 24 – Qatar’s 2022 World Cup organisers were taken completely by surprise over FIFA’s decision to scrap local organising committees for its flagship event. Earlier this month, as part of its grandiose roadmap for the future, FIFA announced that after Russia the World Cup would be organised centrally as part of its plan take “full control of all money flows”.
October 24 – Five Premier League clubs reported capacities of over 99% and nine over 94.99% in the weekly attendance table. A remarkable attendance rate if everyone had turned up and actually filled those seats. But it is clear in Arsenal’s case that the seats may be bought but not all the fans are bothering to turn up.
October 24 – Vietnam’s U-19 men created history in a dramatic AFC quarter final 1-0 win over Bahrain to qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup to be held in South Korea next weekend.
October 24 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino says more needs to be done to develop women’s football in regions where female players are often prevented from taking up the sport.
October 24 – In its determination to become a serious force on the world football stage, China have appointed Italy’s World Cup-winning manager Marcello Lippi to become its new national coach.
October 24 – The English FA is to increase its budget for women’s football to £17.7 million, a 16% increase, as the national governing body seeks to increase primary school (up to age 11) participation by girls in the game from its current 40%.
October 24 – Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, German head of the European Clubs Association, has accused English clubs of taking on players far too young saying he would have “moral reservations” about doing the same thing at Bayern Munich where he is chairman.
October 24 – It has been officially confirmed that Thailand’s World cup qualifier against Australia will go ahead as originally planned on November 15 but traditional chanting and vocal support has been banned out of respect for the year-long period of national mourning in memory of the 70-year reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 21 – The simmering dispute over proposed changes to the Champions League escalated dramatically today when Europe’s major leagues threatened to rip up their working relationship with UEFA next spring unless the governing body meets their demands for the controversial deal to be either scrapped or tweaked.
By Paul Nicholson
October 21 – Asia will have a new world champion tonight in a FIFA competition the Asian Football Confederation has dominated since its inception. The final of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, being played in Amman, Jordan, features defending champions Japan against AFC champions DPR Korea.
October 21 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is poised to beef up its governance procedures with a raft of reform proposals to include an AFC whistleblower policy, new anti-bribery and corruption measures and, crucially, a commercial strategy paper for future rights sales.
October 21 – Newly appointed Russian deputy prime minister Vitaly Mutko, promoted from sports minister, says he may stand down as president of the Russian Football Union (RFU).
October 21 – The sale of Premier League Hull City now appears to be a race between three different parties, two of them from China and a third group believed to be predominantly European money.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 21 – American marketing executive Aaron Davidson has pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in the US-led probe into football corruption and has had his trial set for April 24 next year.
October 21 – New UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has given the biggest hint yet that a bidding process will be put in place for staging UEFA’s major club finals.