Socios win temporary injunction in legal battle with AFA over sponsorship rights
January 31 – Fan token platform Socios has sued the Argentinian Football Association (AFA) for terminating their sponsorship contract.
Man Utd’s Greenwood arrested on suspicion of rape
January 31 – Manchester United footballer Mason Greenwood has been arrested on suspicion of rape and assault following allegations that were made on social media.
Starlizard Knowledge Hub reports 0.3% of matches showed suspicious betting patterns in 2021
January 31 – Starlizard Integrity Services (SIS) has reported that the number of football matches it assessed as being suspicious in 2021 is 130, 0.30% of all matches played in 2021 that the firm analysed.
Ji strike sends Korea through against Australia; China, Japan and Philippines in semis
January 30 – South Korea kept themselves firmly in the hunt for their first AFC Women’s Asian Cup, securing a semi-final place with a 1-0 win over 2018 losing finalists Australia in Pune today (Sunday).
Infantino calls on FFF boss Le Graët to oversee FIFA’s new Paris base
By Samindra Kunti
January 28 – On a visit to Paris, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has appointed French FA (FFF) president Noel Le Graët as his delegate to oversee the organisation’s newly opened office in Paris.
Costa Rica back in Qatar 2022 contention as Canada, US and Mexico all win
January 28 – Writing off Costa Rica as an ageing and tired team might be premature. Last night they put themselves back into Qatar 2022 qualification contention with a 1-0 win over Panama.
Zero tolerance? FIFA’s head of Legends programme survives sexual harassment case
January 28 – The sense that FIFA’s senior leadership is running out of control under president Gianni Infantino has been reinforced by news that a key advisor, Miguel Macedo has evaded sanction despite being found to have sexually harassed a member of his staff.
Starlizard lifts lid on match-fixing with launch of Integrity Knowledge Hub
January 28 – The integrity services arm of sports betting consultancy Starlizard has launched a new Integrity Knowledge Hub via its website. The resource makes publicly available detail on the extent of match-fixing in football.
Asian qualifiers: Iran book Qatar 2022 spot with win over Iraq
By Samindra Kunti
January 28 – Iran remain the flag bearers of Asian football, becoming the first Asian team to qualify for the World Cup after a 1-0 victory against neighbours Iraq at the Azadi Stadium, with a limited number of women in attendance.
When a clown becomes king, the Palace becomes a Circus
Of the three personality disorders frequently observed in psychology and psychotherapy, there is one that appears to apply to certain types of people often found in leadership positions (such as Trump, Johnson, and you guessed it: Infantino). The ones I am referring to here, are “Cluster B Personality Disorders”.
CAF gets shirty with Comoros and issues fines
January 28 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has fined Comoros $5,000 for “not respecting shirt numbers” and $2,000 for delaying kick-off in their last-16 match against Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Asian Qualifying: Saudi’s maintain lead as Japan and Aussie find form
January 28 – Saudi Arabia kept their four point lead over Japan at the top of Group B in the Asian World Cup 2022 qualifiers with a 1-0 win over Oman.
Qatar 2022: Canada bid for Concacaf crown, US and Mexico seek to repel all usurpers
January 27 – The eight Concacaf nations in the final World Cup qualification return to action tonight in an international window that will see them play three matches in eight days.
Women’s Asian Cup: Japan and Korea share honours, Vietnam battle back
January 27 – Two-time defending champions Japan have progressed to the quarter finals of the Women’s Asian Cup as group winners on goal difference, after a 1-1 draw with South Korea.
FIFA bats second to cricket’s ICC as most-followed international federation on social media
January 27 – FIFA may rule football but it doesn’t rule sports on social media, cricket does. A new ranking puts the world governing body of the world’s game over 38 million followers behind the smaller ball game.