November 16 – Lionel Messi is leading a media boycott by the Argentine national team because of “grave and disrespectful” allegations made against a number of his teammates.
November 16 – The biggest shake-up in the English professional football pyramid since the Premier League was set up in 1992 has been scrapped because of a calendar clash between the various parties running the national game.
November 16 – UEFA has delayed a ruling in a mysterious disciplinary case involving CSKA Moscow and Finland midfielder Roman Eremenko (pictured).
By Paul Nicholson
November 15 – Asian Football Confederation (AFC) nations have made major efforts with their professional leagues to narrow the gap with their Western counterparts. A new analysis by Football Benchmark, the sports data and analysis arm of KPMG, finds that it s not a case of if but “when and which of its (Asia’s) leagues will be able to compete and eventually challenge the game’s traditional superpowers in the long term.”
By Paul Nicholson
November 15 – Dieter Hahn (pictured), the controversial and secretive boss of German media corporation Constantin Media and a key figure behind the scenes in the alleged cash for votes scandal around the Germany 2006 World Cup bid, has engineered a stunning boardroom coup that leaves him in control of Constantin which is to restructure as a sports only business.
By Samindra Kunti
November 15 – The Arena Corinthians, the World Cup showcase stadium in Sao Paulo that became the home of reigning Brazilian champions Corinthians, is facing severe structural damage due to a massive water leak beneath the facility. The condition may threaten the sustainable use of the venue and again questions the legacy of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 15 – The debate over whether Europe’s minnows should have their own pre-qualifying competition for major tournaments is nothing new but Germany’s Thomas Muller has stoked an unsavoury spat with officials of San Marino following his team’s 8-0 demolition of the 201st-ranked FIFA nation.
November 15 – As if Greek football didn’t have enough serious problems, the national federation has now been forced to apologise to Bosnia-Herzegovina after offensive banners were displayed at a World Cup qualifier last Sunday referring to the infamous 1995 Srebrenica massacre.
November 15 – The use of video replays will be given another trial when Italy take on world champions Germany in tonight’s prestige friendly in Milan.
November 15 – German and English clubs are among the most stable workplaces for players in Europe, coming in the top three of a ranking of 31 top division European national leagues.
On May 27, 2015, in Brooklyn, New York, Loretta Lynch, Attorney-General of the United States, made a media-savvy appearance. Accompanied by her subordinate (“I am honored to be joined today by Director James Comey of the FBI […])” she highlighted a series of charges that put a number of mainly non-US football officials into serious trouble: “[The individuals indicted today] were expected to uphold the rules that keep soccer honest, and to protect the integrity of the game.
November 15 – FIFA ethics judges have opened formal proceedings against Najeeb Chirakal, a former aide to disgraced ex-Asian football chief Mohamed bin Hammam, based on the final report submitted by ethics investigators who recommended a life ban.
November 11 – FIFA secretary-general Fatma Samoura is personally intervening to help bring an end to the ongoing dispute between Sierra Leone’s football association (SLFA) and local authorities.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 14 – The role of women in senior football administration has taken a significant leap with Nathalie Boy de la Tour (pictured) becoming the first female president of the French Professional Football League (LFP), one of the biggest in the European game.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 14 – Any suggestion by the regime of Gianni Infantino that the exit of FIFA’s long-time medical director Jiri Dvorak (pictured) was by mutual consent has been well and truly countered by the Czech-born neurologist’s reaction to leaving the organisation after 22 years.