England to host 2018 World Cup, sort of…
By David Owen
October 27 – England wanted to stage a football World Cup in 2018 – and now it is to get its wish.
Lazio fans give fascist salutes during Anne Frank reading
October 27 – Italian football’s efforts to tackle a resurgence of anti-Semitism backfired disgracefully when a section of Lazio fans, traditionally among the worst culprits, sang fascist songs instead and made salutes.
English FA chief Clarke admits organisation has ‘failed’
October 27 – Under-fire English Football Association chairman Greg Clarke (pictured) has admitted his organisation has “lost the trust of the public” over its handling of discrimination claims made against former England women’s manager Mark Sampson.
Sexwale urged to stand down over ‘whitewash’ of FIFA’s Israel Palestine monitoring body
October 27 – South African activists have urged their compatriot Tokyo Sexwale (pictured centre) to step down as FIFA’s chief Middle East negotiator because of the body’s distinct lack of progress in settling the footballing impasse between Israel and the Palestinians in the occupied territories, specifically the ongoing dispute over Israeli lower-league clubs playing official games on settlements in the West Bank.
Arsenal’s big guns blow away their opposition at stormy AGM
By Paul Nicholson
October 27 – Arsenal’s annual general meeting – an almost pointless gathering of shareholders as the two largest (Stan Kroenke and Alisher Usmanov) control 97% of the shares – was a stormy reflection of the relationship between the club and its London-based support.
Football doping: one sample in every 200 produced adverse finding in 2016
By David Owen
October 27 – A total of 168 urine samples provided to drug testers by footballers resulted in adverse analytical findings (AAFs) in 2016, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has revealed.
German and Colombian leagues get hooked-up with co-operation agreement
October 27 – The Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL) has signed a co-operation agreement with the Colombian División Mayor del Fútbol Colombiano (DIMAYOR) that will see the two leagues develop joint sports, marketing and management initiatives.
Sportradar delivers week-long integrity workshop to Hong Kong clubs and officials
October 27 – The Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) has just completed a week-long integrity programme for players and officials across the territory.
England storm past Brazil to set up all-European U17 World Cup final with Spain
By Samindra Kunti in Kolkata
October 26 – England made history by reaching their first ever U-17 World Cup final as Rhian Brewster broke Brazilian hearts with a hat-trick in a commanding 3-1 semi-final victory. The Young Lions will face European champions Spain, who eliminated Mali with the same scoreline.
Video Ref decision delay as IFAB runs into December meeting date conflicts
By Andrew Warshaw
October 26 – Football’s lawmakers look set to postpone their annual business meeting in Abu Dhabi where the main focus of attention was to have been video technology.
Sierra Leone’s Johansen steps down from FA while corruption investigation on-going
October 26 – Embattled Sierra Leone FA president Isha Johansen has been set aside by her own executive committee while she is investigated by the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). The ruling also extends to the body’s secretary general Christopher Kamara.
Qatari labour reforms of wages and ‘kafala’ win support of hard-hitting ITUC
October 26 – Under the global spotlight over its treatment of foreign workers, Qatari authorities have agreed a range of labour reforms including the introduction of a minimum wage and the abolition of the controversial kafala system under which foreign workers must get their employer’s consent to change jobs or leave the country.
beIN Sport boss Al-Khelaifi meets Swiss prosecutors over World Cup rights buy
October 26 – After being grilled for some eight hours by Swiss prosecutors, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, the under-fire Qatari boss of beIN Sport Media who is at the centre of corruption allegations over World Cup TV rights, said he had nothing to hide and would willingly testify again.
Spurs set new Premier League attendance record as West Ham pack London Stadium
October 26 – Spurs broke the 10-year-old Premier League attendance record in Round 9 of fixtures last week with 80,827 fans at Wembley for their 4-1 win over Liverpool.
Trujillo kicks off FIFA-gate sentencing with 8 month jail term and $415k fine
By Paul Nicholson
October 26 – Former Guatemala Football Federation leader Hector Trujillo has been handed an eight month prison sentence and fined $415,000 by a Brooklyn federal court judge Pamela Chen. Trujillo is the first of the football officials in the FIFA corruption scandal to be sentenced in the US.