By Mark Baber
October 8 – FIFA is this week working together with the Djibouti Football Federation (FDF) to deliver a 5-day training course to 31 local journalists which, it is hoped, will raise the standard of professionalism in football coverage in the country and, it is hoped, bring the Djibouti Premier League to an international audience.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 8 – The battle to replace FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce at the top table of world football administration has been stepped up with the announcement that England’s David Gill is putting his name forward even though he has only been a member of UEFA’s executive committee for less than 18 months.
By David Owen in Monte Carlo
October 8 – Viewing figures for this year’s FIFA World Cup in Brazil set records in several key football markets, Niclas Ericson, FIFA’s director of TV, has told the Sportel Convention in Monaco.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 8 – The administration of Italian football has been plunged into disrepute after federation president Carlo Tavecchio was banned from all European roles by UEFA for six months over his infamous ‘banana eaters’ comment whilst running for election.
By Paul Nicholson in Paris
October 8 – The Aspire Zone Foundation has released outline detail of a development plan that will more than double the size of its current 250-acre Aspire Zone geographical footprint.
By Mark Baber
October 7 – UEFA have fined Partizan Belgrade €40,000 and imposed a partial stadium closure for their next Europa League home game in response to the display of a banner reading “Only Jews and Pussies” by fans at their 18 September game against Tottenham Hotspur, a north London club with a strong Jewish tradition.
By Andrew Warshaw in London
October 7 – German icon Franz Beckenbauer, whose distinguished career as a player and coach was followed by a prominent role at Fifa, admitted today he was “surprised” Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup and that the tournament should also be staged in winter.
October 7 – The Italian Super Cup final between last winners Serie A champions Juventus and Coppa Italia winners Naples will be played later this year in Qatar, it was announced yesterday at the Aspire Global Summit in Paris.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 7 – Football may be continually hit by reports of match-fixing but it is one of many sports being infiltrated by criminal gangs. David Howman, director-general of the World Anti-Doping Agency, says the problem extends across a variety of sports right across the globe.
By Andrew Warshaw in London
September 7 – The head of the increasingly influential International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) has warned that the need for action to combat global corruption is greater than ever.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 7 – A leading anti-corruption expert who was part of the team commissioned by FIFA to recommend specific reform proposals has savagely rebuked the organisation and says it will never restore credibility as long as Sepp Blatter remains president.
By Paul Nicholson in Paris
September 7 – The Legends World Cup was officially unveiled at the Aspire Global Summit yesterday. the brainchild of the World Sport Company, an independent middle eastern company with offices in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Holland. The first edition is targeted for 2016.
October 7 – Aspire Academy and sports conference organiser Leaders have joined to launch a new business of sports awards event aimed at recognising sports excellence under the age of 40.
By Paul Nicholson, Paris
October 6 – The two-day Aspire Global Summit opened this morning in Paris, pulling more than 130 invited officials from 50 leading clubs and 28 national federations. The summit schedule is a mix of seminars and workshops, with an exclusive exhibition format enabling delegates to meet with Qatar’s stakeholders from the Qatar Stars league to the Qatar National Bank.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 6 – Arguably the most powerful official in Asian sport says he will not allow opponents in the media to railroad Qatar’s right to stage the 2022 World Cup.