December 4 – The conduct of Zimbabwean football boss Philip Chiyangwa (pictured), an ally of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, has been called into question in his own country amid allegations of corruption.
December 4 – The French Football Federation (FFF) have prolonged their commercial partnership with automotive manufacturer Volkswagen until June 2023.
December 4 – Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) operator Oulala is looking to expand its platform into India via its new partnership with Australian technology firm Bravio Gaming which provides online digital entertainment solutions on a B2B and B2C basis.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 1 – It was trumpeted by FIFA as a must-watch media briefing about World Cup preparations and the glittering draw at the Kremlin Palace later in the day. Instead, it barely touched on the draw ceremony and turned into a quite extraordinary full-scale personal assault on Russia’s critics by chief World Cup organiser Vitaly Mutko (pictured far left).
December 1 – The African Football Confederation (CAF) has granted financial subsidies of $500,000 to each of its qualified countries to help prepare their teams for the Russia 2018 World Cup.
December 1 – Russian World Cup chief Vitaly Mutko has insisted there will be no discrimination against gender preference at the tournament despite fears that the spectre of homophobia and racism could deter some supporters from travelling to the country.
December 1 – If they weren’t before, they are now. The gloves are officially off in the race for the hosting of the 2026 World Cup. USA, Mexico and Canada submitted their 2026 World Cup bid, as did Morocco, before the November 30 deadline.
December 1 – French police have questioned former FIFA vice-president Reynald Temarii (pictured) in their investigation into suspected corruption in connection with the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bid process.
By Paul Nicholson
December 1 – Steven Lowy, chairman of Football Federation Australia (FFA), has said that it would be “incredibly sad” if FIFA was to step in with a normalisation committee to run Australian football.
December 1 – The World Cup in 2018 will bring up to 500,000 international visitors who will on average spend 31% more on their credit cards than ordinary visitors to the country.
December 1 – Qatar is forging ahead with its World Cup 2022 developments, winning 4-star GSAS sustainability certification for the already completed Khalifa International Stadium and unveiling a spectacular new modular and recyclable design for the soon to be built Ras Abu Aboud Stadium.
November 30 – A former accountant working with Argentina-based marketing firm Torneos y Competencias has told the FifaGate trial in New York how he handled the payment of millions of dollars in bribes to powerful south American officials in exchange for the rights to broadcast tournaments and matches.
November 30 – Not so long ago, Australia was bidding for the 2022 World Cup, albeit with little chance of success. Now their football federation has been plunged into meltdown.
November 30 – The MLS has named four finalist cities for the league’s two expansion slots in 2018. Cincinnati, Detroit, Nashville and Sacramento will make formal presentation to the league’s expansion committee December 6, before being discussed at a Board of Governors meeting on December 14.
November 30 – Gambia has bowed to FIFA pressure after the country’s sports council chairman, Bori Darboe, reinstated the national FA’s executive committee.