October 24 – Police have arrested Lokeren coach Peter Macs (pictured) in the latest move linked to the wide-ranging investigation into the damaging match-fixing and money laundering scandal hitting Belgian football.
October 24 – The geo-political financial partnership between Saudi Arabia and Japanese financiers SoftBank, rumoured to be the operators of the financial vehicle behind the $25 billion FIFA international calendar sell off, looks like it might have run into difficulties over the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.
October 23 – Cristiano Ronaldo has broken his silence over the rape allegations against him saying his “lawyers are confident” and that the truth will come out.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 19 – Having failed with two attempts to land the FIFA presidency, Jordan’s Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein had decided he has had enough of being involved at the top end of football’s often bitter and divisive political bureaucracy in order to concentrate on trying to use the game as a tool for social development to help deprived communities.
October 19 – The US has the opportunity to install a “best in class” integrity framework around betting regulation and match-fixing following the PASPA ruling that opened up the online gambling market across the country.
October 18 – Spanish prosecutors are reported to have set a February trial date for former Barcelona strongman Sandro Rosell who is accused of money laundering related to television rights and sponsorship of the Brazilian national football team.
October 18 – A SIGA Special Session in New York highlighted the increasing importance of good governance to world sport’s major sponsors who sent a clear message that if they are to spend big dollars they should be seen by rights holders as stakeholders and not just cash cows.
October 17 – Turkish prosecutors have charged Barcelona midfielder Arda Turan over a brawl with a well-known Turkish pop singer and have called for a jail sentence of 12 years.
October 17 – The German magazine which broke the story of a rape allegation made against Cristiano Ronaldo says it stands by its report despite the player’s lawyers describing the claims as “complete fabrication.”
By Andrew Warshaw
October 16 – Two ex-presidents of the German FA, Wolfgang Niersbach (pictured left) and Theo Zwanziger (pictured right), plus former general secretary Horst Schmidt have won a landmark legal case after a Frankfurt court rejected tax evasion charges against them saying there was insufficient evidence of wrongdoing.
October 16 – The European Parliament is to host a high-level session in Brussels tonight to tackle the growing problem of child trafficking in sport, primarily focusing on football.
October 11 – Cristiano Ronaldo’s lawyer has issues a firm rebuke of the rape accusations against the Portuguese player, saying the documents backing up Kathryn Mayorga’s claims have been “completely fabricated”.
October 10 – The English FA’s controversial proposed sale of Wembley Stadium for £600 million to Fulham’s American owner Shahid Khan could be scuppered amid emerging allegations of “systemic corruption” at the club.
October 9 – FIFA, rarely praised on integrity issues and often the butt of fierce government criticism, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Council of Europe with an initial focus on the protection of children from sexual exploitation, the fight against match-fixing and to “co-ordinate their efforts for the preparation of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar on the safety, security and services aspects of football matches.”
By Samindra Kunti
October 5 – US sportswear behemoth Nike and gaming giant EA Sports have expressed their concern over the rape allegations against Cristiano Ronaldo, but his club Juventus have come out in defense of the superstar. On Thursday, the Portugal captain was dropped from the Portugal roster for the October fixtures with Poland and Scotland.