Why now, who leaked the information and what could the impact be on FIFA? Those are just three intriguing questions being asked in the wake of the stunning revelations in the New York Daily News that Chuck Blazer, who strode the corridors of power at FIFA for more than a generation, turned FBI informant to spy on several of his colleagues.
When FIFA awarded the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar in favour of England and the United States it was a statement that resonated way beyond the confines of the world¹s football grounds and into the geopolitical sphere.
One day at FIFA HQ, Zurich, I expect to see the familiar world weary face of actor Bill Murray on the path to the entrance, crouched on the steps peering into the flowers. Looking for a Groundhog. There have been more ‘Groundhog Days’ than I’d care to remember around the subject of, you know, begins with a Q. Ends in 2022. Well it will end at some stage of 2022, or even 2023. Who knows when exactly?
By Ricardo Setyon
November 4 – Currently in their Centenary season, Palmeiras is the Brazilian club with the most deeply rooted links to Europe. But its 100th birthday is proving an unhappy one as it battles out of relegation danger, conflict with contractors over its new stadium, and poor finances that require a continual bail-out from its owner.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 4 – Amid an intensifying impasse, Morocco has been given a fresh deadline of Saturday to decide whether they will host January’s showpiece Africa Cup of Nations – with a final decision to be taken three days later by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
By Andrew Warshaw
November 3 – Almost four years after awarding Qatar the 2022 World Cup, FIFA appears to have edged ever-closer to an unprecedented decision to break with tradition and stage the tournament in winter because of the fearsome Gulf mid-summer heat.
November 3 – The greatest night in Australian club football history was marred by intimidation on and off the pitch but none of it could dampen the spirits of Western Sydney Wanderers who became the first Australian champions of Asia on Sunday – not bad for a club making their debut continental campaign and which didn’t even exist three years ago.
By Mark Baber
November 3 – FIFA has confirmed that it will be losing Dubai-based airline Emirates as one of its sponsors when its contract runs out at the end of the year, whilst talks with Sony, another top level sponsor, are reportedly ongoing.
November 3 – UEFA has imposed partial stadium closure orders on both Romania and Hungary after their ill-tempered Euro 2016 qualifying tie – but the sanctions will not affect away fans.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 3 – A decision over when and whether to stage next year’s African Cup of Nations is imminent following urgent talks between African Football Confederation (CAF) officials and the Moroccan organisers who have asked for the tournament to be delayed or postponed because of the Ebola crisis that has claimed more than 5,000 lives.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 3 – As football’s stakeholders gather at FIFA headquarters today for the latest meeting to determine exactly when to stage the 2022 World Cup, FIFA’s leading medical expert has insisted once again that the Qatar tournament must not be staged in the middle of the Gulf summer.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
November 3 – RasenBallsport Leipzig has unveiled plans to increase the capacity of its stadium. Under the plan, the German club’s stadium will be increased 55,000 as the club targets promotion to the Bundesliga’s top tier and, ultimately, qualification for European competition, an ambition of its Red Bull owners.
By Ben Nicholson
November 3 – The MLS has broken its season long attendance record, averaging 19,147 fans per game. Eleven teams saw an increase in attendance figures, whilst eight teams suffered drops in attendance.
By David Owen
November 2 – Everton, whose shirt sponsorship deal with Chang, the Thai beverage company, is now the longest-running in the Premier League, has become the latest top-flight English club to report a pre-tax profit for the 2013-14 season.
By Paul Nicholson
November 2 – Anyone who thought the seismic impact of disgraced American football official Chuck Blazer was over can think again. Blazer has been named as the main informant in an FBI investigation reportedly into money laundering and fraud in football.