Football must do more to crackdown on discrimination, says #EqualGame panel
April 4 – Prominent figures from across European football have emphasised the crucial importance of diversity in the game.
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Racism: Juve just don’t get it. Allegri and Bonucci blame Kean for monkey chanting
April 4 – Twenty-four hours after UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin lambasted the resurgence of racist attitudes across European football, one of the Continent’s most high-profile club managers has put himself unwittingly in the spotlight with unfortunate comments that did little to support Ceferin’s powerful stance.
Hillsborough police chief could face retrial, Sheffield Wednesday club secretary guilty
April 4 – The jury in the trial of the police chief facing allegations related to the 1989 Hillsborough stadium tragedy has been unable to reach a verdict with the prosecution now calling for a retrial.
Beckham’s Inter Miami faces law suit from Inter Milan over use of name
April 4 – David Beckham’s dream of building an MLS franchise have hit a legal snag over trademark rights with reports from Italy that Inter Milan are planning to sue MLS over the name of Beckham’s proposed club – Inter Miami CF.
Time warp: Grindel steps down from DFB over earnings scandal and a Ukrainian watch
By Andrew Warshaw
April 3 – German Football Association president Reinhard Grindel, one of European football’s most influential figures who continually banged the drum for greater transparency and accountability, has himself been forced to resign after being embroiled in a domestic scandal.
Racism: Ceferin tells refs to be ‘brave’, follow protocol and stop games
April 3 – UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has urged referees to be brave enough to halt matches in order to help stamp out an alarming resurgence of racism from fans. Ceferin opened a UEFA conference on discrimination on Tuesday, organised in conjunction with England’s Football Association, and believes it is time officials took the plunge and abided by UEFA protocol.
FIFA’s Garcia Silvero joins line-up for transfer rules debate at Sports Law at the Crossroads forum
March 28 – FIFA’s chief legal officer Emilio Garcia Silvero and former CAS Deputy General Secretary William Sternheimer have joined the speaker line-up for the Sports Law at the Crossroads conference in Madrid, May 10-11.
PFA overhaul: Taylor, England’s highest paid union boss, steps down over £2m salary
March 28 – Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) which represents players in England and Wales, is to step down after 38 years amid heightened criticism of his reported £2 million annual salary, believed to be one of the highest in the world for a trade union official.
SIGA meetings close with SIRVs ratings prioritised and a commitment to build US alliances
By Paul Nicholson in New York
March 28 – The SIGA (Sports Integrity Global Alliance) meetings closed in New York with a meeting of the integrity group’s general assembly and a commitment to grow the association in the US.
More FIFA indictments likely, corruption probe ongoing, say former US investigators
By Paul Nicholson in New York
March 26 – FIFA beware, former investigators and prosecutors who worked on the US Department of Justice indictments in 2015 say that the investigation is still on-going and there will likely be more indictments on top of the 42 already charged.
RFU fines Pogrebnyak for comments on nationality and black players
March 27 – Russia’s former international striker Pavel Pogrebnyak has been fined 250,000 rubles (£2,938/$3880) for saying it was “laughable” to have black players representing the national team.
Irish serve volley of tennis balls to protest Delaney still being in play
March 27 – Irish fans disrupted a Euro 2020 qualifier against Georgia on Tuesday by throwing tennis balls onto the pitch in protest at John Delaney’s continued role as a senior executive in the Football Association of Ireland (FAI).
BSI appointed to develop SIGA integrity ratings system for sports governing bodies
By Paul Nicholson in New York
March 26 – Sport integrity group SIGA has appointed the British Standards Institute (BSI) to develop and operate its ratings system that will measure how fit-for-purpose sport governing are. It is the next major step in the organisation’s crusade to bring better governance to sport and provide real tools for governing bodies to battle corruption and raise integrity standards.
Montenegro fans continue their obscene racial abuse as England smash 5 past them
March 26 – Another unsavoury incident of racism at an international fixture, another Balkan country responsible.
Delaney switches roles at FAI as unexplained €100k loan casts shadow
March 25 – Football Association of Ireland (FAI) chief executive John Delaney has stepped aside from the role just 10 days before he was due to appear before a parliamentary committee to be questioned over a €100,000 loan he provided to his federation two years ago.