Ronaldo in Madrid court accused of €14.7m tax evasion
July 31 – Cristiano Ronaldo was due to appear in a Spanish court later today, accused of evading millions of Euros in tax.
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Police chief faces manslaughter charges over Hillsborough disaster
July 28 – Three separate trials are anticipated for the prosecution of the six men facing charges over the 1989 Hillsborough stadium disaster.
Jailed Villar quits VP roles at FIFA and UEFA. Larrea steps up in Spain
By Andrew Warshaw
July 27 – The career of Angel Maria Villar, one of the last remaining members of football’s political old guard who somehow managed to maintain his status while friends and colleagues were being swallowed up by scandal, is now effectively over after the seemingly untouchable lawyer resigned as vice-president of FIFA and UEFA.
SIGA forum renews call for action on better sports governance
July 27 – Sports integrity lobby group SIGA kept up its calls for better sports governance at its Lisbon forum with former IOC Marketing and Broadcasting Rights Director Michael Payne saying sport has to “adapt or die, but also adapt to thrive”.
Walking the gangplank: Premier League wins court order to shut down pirates
July 27 – The English Premier League has been awarded a High Court order for the forthcoming season which it hopes will combat illegal streaming by fans watching their teams for free. The blocking order will require UK Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to prevent supporters from illegal access through services like Kodi.
Spanish sports body steps in to remove Villar from RFEF presidency
By Andrew Warshaw
July 26 – Angel Maria Villar’s three-decade reign at the head of Spanish football has come crashing down after he was suspended for a year, throwing his FIFA and UEFA vice-presidencies into serious jeopardy.
Brazilian power struggle: Prosecutor targets Del Nero and CBF board for busting rules
By Samindra Kunti
July 25 – Rio de Janeiro’s public prosecutor has requested the immediate removal of CBF president Marco Polo Del Nero (pictured) and the organisation’s board over irregularities during its general assembly in March.
Brazilian prosecutors reach out to Spanish to build case against Teixeira
July 24 – Ricardo Teixeira has been accused of creating a ‘criminal organisation’ by Spanish prosecutors, who requested the arrest of the former CBF chairman last week.
Villar stays in jail as Spanish judge denies bail due to flight risk
By Andrew Warshaw
July 21 – Angel Maria Villar, FIFA’s second most senior official and an ally of Gianni Infantino, has been denied bail along with his son following their sensational arrest earlier this week as part of an anti-corruption probe by Spanish authorities.
Spanish law enforcers target Teixeira and share info with Brazilian prosecutors
By Andrew Warshaw
July 19 – Is the net starting to close in on former FIFA and Brazilian powerbroker Ricardo Teixeira? Brazilian and Spanish federal prosecutors have reportedly begun exchanging information about suspected corruption by Teixeira, for whom an international arrest warrant is apparently on the verge of being issued by Spanish authorities.
Villar arrest throws Spanish FA into chaos as fixtures delayed amid emergency meetings
By Andrew Warshaw
July 19 – The dramatic arrest of Spanish football chief and FIFA powerbroker Angel Maria Villar has had an immediate knock-on effect on the operations of Spanish football, with the announcement of next season’s domestic fixtures thrown into confusion.
Spanish FA president Villar arrested in anti-corruption swoop on RFEF headquarters
By Andrew Warshaw
July 18 – Who says the crisis at FIFA is over? Angel Maria Villar, FIFA’s senior vice-president and one of the last surviving members of the organisation’s old guard, has been sensationally arrested in his native Spain along with his son in an anti-corruption raid carried out by Spanish authorities.
FIFA says Cameroon complaint on CAS ruling, Infantino and Samoura is still to be decided
By Paul Nicholson
July 17 – FIFA has written to Cameroon club Etoile Filante to emphasise that its Disciplinary Committee has not yet ruled on the complaint that a Court of Aribitration for Sport (CAS) decision that would immediately suspend Cameroon FA (Fecafoot) president Tombi A Roko Sidiki was not being followed.
CAS cuts Mayne-Nicholls ban opening door for his return to football
By Andrew Warshaw
July 14 – Harold Mayne-Nicholls, the FIFA-appointed official who led the inspection team that evaluated the credentials of all 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding candidates, is free to resume his career in football after the Court of Arbitration for Sport cut his ban for seeking unpaid intern work in Qatar for relatives to two years.
FIFA refuses to implement CAS decision on Cameroon saying ‘it isn’t our ball’
By Paul Nicholson
July 13 – FIFA has wriggled out of responsibility to enable it to continue to support an unelected president of a national federation, claiming it is not the “competent” authority to enforce the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) that Tombi A Roko Sidiki is unlawfully holding the position of Cameroon FA (Fecafoot) president.