By Andrew Warshaw
February 16 – FIFA’s biennial World Cup drive has suffered yet another setback after global players’ union FIFPRO revealed its members overwhelmingly oppose the idea.
February 16 – Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates has received a glowing post-event plaudits for its hosting of the Club World Cup having stepped in at the last minute to host the competition.
By Samindra Kunti
February 15 – FIFA have ordered Brazil and Argentina to replay their World Cup qualifier that was abandoned last September when Brazilian health officials stormed the pitch in Sao Paulo over alleged Covid-19 accusations by Argentinian visitors.
February 15 – Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Seychelles have been announced by FIFA as the three countries bidding to host the 2023 Beach Soccer World Cup.
February 15 – FIFA operations in Paris will not be subject to corporate taxes and social security contributions.
February 13 – Kai Havertz’s extra-time penalty strike crowned Chelsea World Champions with a 2-1 victory against Brazil’s Palmeiras in the final of the Club World Cup. The London club have now won every trophy available in the Roman Abramovich era.
February 11 – A decade after losing the 2012 competition, Chelsea will seek to win their first Club World Cup against Palmeiras from Brazil on Saturday to wrap up a tournament of which the future remains shrouded in mystery.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 10 – Kenya’s women footballers have urged FIFA president Gianni Infantino to personally intervene to allow a crucial World Cup qualifier to go ahead and save their dream of reaching next year’s finals.
February 2 – Belgium have retained top spot in the FIFA ranking ahead of Brazil and world champions France, with recently crowned African champions Senegal and The Gambia among the biggest risers.
February 10 – Pierluigi Collina, chairman of FIFA’s Referee Committee and FIFA’s Technology and Innovation, has emphasised that the referees and assistants on the field will still have the final decision, despite the advanced trials of the semi-automated offside technology system (SAOT).
February 9 – Europe and South America will again compete for the global club crown after Chelsea eliminated Asian champions Al Hilal 1-0 in a lively semi-final to set up a Club World Cup decider against Palmeiras from Brazil.
February 9 – Al Hilal coach Leonardo Jardim has criticised FIFA for favouring European teams at the Club World Cup, echoing comments from Al Ahly boss Pitso Mosimane earlier in the tournament.
February 9 – The World Cup remains the hottest ticket in town. Football fans from across the globe applied for 17 million tickets in the first sales period of the World Cup in Qatar, with the final proving to be the most in-demand match with 1.8 million ticket requests.
February 9 – The first set of data on transfer spending and trends from the January 2022 transfer window has been released by FIFA showing an international market that is very much on the bounceback with fees breaking the $1 billion mark.
February 8 – Morocco is rumoured to be considering a bid for the 2030 World Cup – the sixth time the country would have attempted to land football’s showpiece tournament.