By Andrew Warshaw
April 9 – The match-fixing scandal that has rocked South African football because it directly involves the national team, is to be investigated by an three-man independent team – backed by FIFA.
By Mónica Villar
April 9 – Spain’s PLa Liga side Valladolid are considering legal action after it came to light that Atlético de Madrid’s Sporting director, José Luis Pérez Caminero, has had a secret meeting with Valladolid winger Patrick Ebert.
By Monica Villar
April 8 – Deportivo La Coruna may be showing signs of improvement on the pitch as the season comes to a close, but economically the Galicians are having a tough time as the life-threatening battle over cash to run the club intensifies.
By Mark Baber
April 8 – This Wednesday the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) special appeals committee is expected to make its final determinations in the “Asiagate” match-fixing scandal.
By Mark Baber
April 8 – Australian pay-TV network Foxtel has pledged $20 million over the next four years to support the development of youth football in Australia.
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent, in Dubai
April 8 – Against the backdrop of one of the world’s most famous racecourses, Asian Football Confederation presidential candidate Yousuf Al Serkal surged out of the blocks today and declared himself the best man to restore unity and transparency to the troubled region.
April 8 – PepsiCo, has entered into a one-year partnership with the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP) under the theme ‘Kick for Hope’ which will focus on India and 11 countries in the Middle East including the UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen.
April 8 – Manchester United shirt sponsor Aon, has swapped match day sponsorship for training kit and the naming rights to the Carrington training ground in an estimated £120m ($183.6m), 8 year deal.
CONCACAF is voting again. Chuck Blazer, a US citizen, is stepping down to be succeeded by Sunil Gulati, a US citizen, who will be promoted to FIFA’s Executive Committee. Meanwhile, the tiniest of Caribbean islands that make up the majority of the CFU, are following orders as usual. This time, not those of the much maligned Jack Warner, but those of a dubious and FIFA-reprimanded figure, Gordon Derrick, victorious in a somewhat weird election to the helm of the CFU in Budapest last year (held in parallel to the FIFA Congress),
When FIFA President Sepp Blatter told the world over two years ago that his organisation would clean up its act and enter a new era of transparency after sinking to a low following an unprecedented period of corruption, supporters took him at his word while cynics – of whom there are a fair few – looked to the heavens and questioned whether it would really happen.
Since then there have been hundreds of column inches written about the Great Reform Process designed pull FIFA into the 21st century and which comes to head on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius at the end of next month when 209 member nations vote at FIFA’s annual congress on the need for change.
By Mark Baber
April 5 – The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday finally lifted sanctions on Colombian professional team America de Cali, saying it has severed links to leaders of the Cali drug cartel.
By Mark Baber
April 5 – Whilst a football match last weekend between Bollywood AllStars and Cricket AllStars, won 4-3 by the cricketers raised money the Virat Kohli Charity Foundation, the involvement of the Bollywood superstars in popularising the game in India seems to be far more talk than action.
April 5 – The speaker line up for the FT/IFA is taking shape with FIFA president Sepp Blatter to give the keynote and British Airways chairman Sir Martin Broughton headlining.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 5 – Supporters of Bahrain’s Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa insist he is emerging as the favourite to win the race to become the next President of the Asian Football Confederation.
