Fifa: Qatar and Russia bids given thumbs up – but English FA could face further action November 13, 2014 Fifa's investigation into Fifa's handling of Qatar's successful bid to host the World Cup 2022 has been cleared by..er… Fifa. Fifa's ethics committee, headed by Joachim Eckert, acknowledged there had been a “significant lack of transparency” in Qatar's bid. Computers used for Russia's 2018 bid were destroyed. But while there was evidence of some [...]
World Cup 2022 dates: Qatar tournament “most likely” to be held in winter according to Fifa secretary November 3, 2014 The 2022 World Cup in Qatar looks to be heading for a winter tournament after Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke today confirmed it would most likely be held at the beginning or end of the year. Valcke said January/February 2022 or November/December 2022 are “the most likely” dates for the World Cup, however he also [...]
Fifa like intelligence agency, says investigator October 13, 2014 THE LAWYER tasked with investigating allegations of Fifa corruption has urged football’s world governing body to stop operating under a cloak of secrecy better suited to an intelligence agency. Michael Garcia used an appearance yesterday in the City of London to call for Fifa to implement greater transparency and a change in tone of leadership [...]
Former Manchester United chief exec David Gill nominated for Fifa vice-presidency role October 7, 2014 David Gill, the former chief executive of Manchester United, has been nominated by the FA for a vice-presidency role on Fifa’s executive committee. The FA vice-chairman claims he could be a “driving force” for reform if elected to the committee. In the past Gill has publicly called upon Fifa president Sepp Blatter to step [...]
World Cup 2022: Bookies reckon Qatar’s odds-on to be stripped of the tournament by FIFA September 22, 2014 Bookmaker Coral has made Qatar odds-on to be stripped of the 2022 World Cup by Fifa. The move comes after Fifa executive committee member Theo Zwanziger told German newspaper Bild that he did not think the World Cup would take place in the Gulf state. Coral has issued odds of 1/2 that Qatar will be [...]
Fifa ethics committee orders FAs to return £16,000 luxury watch September 18, 2014 Fifa has ordered the FA and other football associations (FAs) to hand over a £16,000 luxury watch given to management by the Brazilian football federation (CBF). According to Fifa, officials from the 32 nations competing at this summer’s World Cup were given the watches as a gift from the CBF at a pre-tournament congress [...]
Michel Platini won’t run against Sepp Blatter in Fifa presidency election August 28, 2014 Michel Platini will not run against Sepp Blatter for the presidency of Fifa, it has emerged today. The current Uefa president and former France footballer had been considering a bid for the leadership of football's governing body, which he described in June as being in need of a "new breath of fresh air". [...]
Barcelona to appeal Fifa transfer ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport August 20, 2014 Barcelona will go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in a bid to a fight a Fifa ban on all transfer activity until January 2016. Fifa imposed the ban spanning two transfer windows in April this year, after discovering that the Catalan club had breached regulation regarding the signing of players under the age [...]
Russian Football Union risks Fifa sanctions for accepting Crimean teams into league August 13, 2014 Russia has risked incurring the wrath of Fifa after its football union voted to incorporate three clubs from the annexed Crimea region into their third division, a decision apparently motivated by fear of upsetting president Vladimir Putin. The Russian Football Union, host federation of the 2018 World Cup, has breached Fifa statutes which state [...]
Fifa’s sponsors turn up heat on governing body June 9, 2014 FOOTBALL’S world governing body Fifa has come under further pressure on the eve of the World Cup after three of its main sponsors expressed concern at allegations of corruption. Sportswear giant Adidas said the “negative tenor of the public debate around Fifa”, following claims that the success of Qatar’s bid to stage the 2022 World [...]