FIFA doubled spending on 2019 Women’s World Cup
By David Owen
August 31 – FIFA invested nearly twice as much in last year’s Women’s World Cup in France as in the tournament’s previous edition in Canada in 2015.
FIFA
Blatter says keeping Platini out of FIFA was always Infantino’s big plot
August 28 – Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, speaking ahead of his Swiss judicial hearing next week says that the whole case was cooked up to prevent former UEFA president Michel Platini taking the FIFA presidency. Blatter is facing charges of “suspicion of unfair management and breach of trust” regarding a CHF2 million payment to Platini.
Infantino’s FIFA sees commercial revenues stall as staff count doubles
By David Owen
August 28 – Gianni Infantino’s New FIFA may have enjoyed the odd commercial success, notably with esports, but it has failed to reignite the body’s value as a marketing vehicle for international corporations. This has been treading water since FIFA was engulfed by reputational issues in the final days of the Blatter era.
FIFA issues deadline warning to Trinidad as Wallace issues his own threats
By Paul Nicholson
August 27 – The soap opera that has become Trinidad and Tobago football took another turn for the worse for the rank and file of the game on the islands yesterday as FIFA issued a deadline, via letter, and a clear warning of suspension. At the same time former TTFA former president William Wallace issued his own warning to FIFA that he and his allies will not back down.
FIFA pay days: Infantino joins $3 million club
By David Owen
August 25 – Gianni Infantino’s pay has crashed through the $3 million barrier. FIFA’s 2019 annual report has made an appearance on the world governing body’s website, revealing the amounts that the FIFA president and his secretary general were awarded in salary and allowances last year.
Lauber’s loss of immunity turns up heat on Infantino as Swiss justice finds its teeth
August 25 – The noose is beginning to tighten around the neck of outgoing Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber (pictured) which could potentially have significant consequences for FIFA president Gianni Infantino amid the ongoing saga of those infamous undocumented meetings between the pair.
Jetsetter Gianni lands in more trouble over what his private Russian flights really cost
August 25 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s predilection for private jet travel looks likely to cause him more discomfort than a trip in economy class.
Club vs country: FIFA says players need not be released if Covid restrictions in place
August 25 – FIFA have relaxed the rules on the release of players for the upcoming international matches because of the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic.
Wallace rant warns that FIFA is like the British Empire. What next, a return to slavery?
By Paul Nicholson
August 24 – William Wallace, removed from the presidency of the Trinidad and Tobago FA by a FIFA Normalisation Committee just three months after being elected to office, is not backing down in the dispute to have the legality of board’s removal contested in Trinidad rather than at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.
FIFA rethinking eligibility laws to allow players to switch between nations
August 21 – FIFA is planning a change in its rules that will allow players to switch eligibility and represent a second national team.
FIFA files appeal on TTFA court ruling but warns of sanctions if it loses
August 21 – FIFA is not stepping back from its own statutes and rules of law and is maintaining that the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) is the correct forum for the ousted former Trinidad and Tobago FA leadership who have complained against their replacement by a Normalisation Committee.
FIFA closes ranks. Ethics boss Rojas dismisses Infantino’s Swiss criminal probe as bogus
By Andrew Warshaw
August 19 – FIFA’s ethics body today stood firm behind Gianni Infantino in the wake of the much-publicised Swiss criminal investigation into his conduct, refusing to suspend him by arguing the allegations did not “ justify the adoption of any kind of measure”, yet seriously calling into question its credibility and so-called independence.
FIFA opens up Jan-Feb 2020 window to ease pressure on 2022 World Cup qualifiers
By Samindra Kunti
August 19 – In the latest modification to the international match calendar, FIFA has replaced the September fixtures window with a new window at the end of January 2022 for all confederations with the exception of UEFA.
Samoura speaks for FIFA’s MAs saying they are ‘heart-warmingly’ behind Infantino
August 17 – Another weekend, another member of FIFA’s staff rolled out to stand fully behind FIFA president Gianni Infantino and his ‘innocense’ campaign, a public relations push that is threatening to become the football PR campaign to end all football PR campaigns by a sitting FIFA president.
Blatter says ‘untouchable’ Infantino should face FIFA Ethics probe
August 14 – Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has launched another attack on his successor Gianni Infantino, claiming the present incumbent “thinks he is untouchable” and should have an ethics inquiry opened against him immediately.