By Andrew Warshaw in Manama, Bahrain
May 10 – Whatever spin Gianni Infantino puts on it – and he has promised to give his side of the story at the end of tomorrow’s full Congress – FIFA’s ousted ethics chiefs insist they were given no notice whatsoever of the decision to remove them from office and that the lack of a transition period will set FIFA’s much-touted reform process back several years.
By Paul Nicholson
May 10 – Issues of racism and discrimination have been thrust into the spotlight again with the Sulley Muntari case sadly showing that football has a lot more work to do on the issue. FIFA’s response has been depressingly ambivalent; of the “it’s not nice but what do you expect us to do” variety. So what about Russia, the World Cup and the widely documented issues facing that country as it prepares to welcome the world in 2018.
By Samindra Kunti
May 10 – Ruling out the merger of the I-League with the Indian Super League (ISL) in the immediate future, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has drawn up a roadmap for the domestic game, but much confusion remains.
By Andrew Warshaw in Manama, Bahrain
May 10 – FIFA’s entire governance apparatus – or lack of it – has come crashing down after the two men mainly responsible for cleaning up the organisation were ousted from their positions today in what will be regarded by many as the ultimate purge orchestrated by Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
By Andrew Warshaw in Manama, Bahrain
July 10 – Organisers of the three-country north American 2026 World Cup bid insist the bid will be clean and not be faced with any allegations of wrongdoing.
May 10 – Winning matches means scoring more goals than the opposition. That means creating more goal chances – the chances and the clearer cut those chances then the greater the possibility of winning.
By Andrew Warshaw in Manama, Bahrain
May 10 – FIFA have decided to leave open the bidding process for the 2026 World Cup until August, rejecting an attempt by the United States, Canada and Mexico to fast-track their plans.
May 10 – Two of FIFA’s six confederations, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF, have strengthened their collaboration by signing a fresh Memorandum of Understanding “to encourage knowledge, exchange and to enhance football development in the respective territories.”
By Samindra Kunti
May 10 – The Dutch FA, the KNVB, have named Dick Advocaat as the Netherlands’s new coach. Advocaat will take Oranje’s reigns for a third time, with Ruud Gullit set to become his assistant.
After a protracted search for a new coach the Dutch FA confirmed Advocaat’s appointment at a press conference at their headquarters in Zeist. In March Danny Blind was dismissed after the Netherlands had failed to qualify for Euro 2016 and after a string of disappointing results in their World Cup qualification campaign.
By Andrew Warshaw, Manama, Bahrain
May 9 – Last-ditch talks aimed at resolving football’s Israeli-Palestinian impasse broke up amid bitterness and acrimony today, a crushing blow for FIFA and its chief Middle East negotiator Tokyo Sexwale, at the end of his mandate.
By Andrew Warshaw in Manama, Bahrain
May 9 – FIFA’s two top officials waded into the Sulley Muntari racism affair today expressing their solidarity with the player but stopping short of a strong condemnation of the under-fire Italian authorities for their initially insensitive approach.
He never had a chance but just getting on to the ballot was enough. Zelkifili Ngoufonja (the candidate known as Zul) was beaten 54 votes to 4 by Egypt FA president Hany Abu Rida for the last position on FIFA’s Council. But if there ever was a victory that showed up the deep flaws of FIFA’s easily corruptible and barely governed election system (and the Confederation of African Football’s in particular) then this was it.
By Samindra Kunti
May 9 – Monaco have completed their takeover of Belgian club Cercle Brugge. The French purchased Brugge as a part of their youth development strategy, but also want to steer the club back to the Belgian top flight.
By David Owen
May 8 – The money machine that is Manchester United have knocked arch-rivals Liverpool off the top of Insideworldfootball’s Premier League of profits listing for 2015-16.
By Paul Nicholson in Manama, Bahrain
May 8 – The heat on the Palestine-Israel dispute was turned up a notch today prior to FIFA’s Congress on Thursday with Asian Football Confederation president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa telling the AFC Congress in his opening remarks that the AFC stood united with Palestine and urged “FIFA to come up with the best solution as soon as possible”.