By Paul Nicholson
March 29 – FIFA’s Greek monitoring committee has had enough. The committee set up in July 2017 to monitor the Hellenic Football Federation (HFF) is now calling for its suspension with immediate effect.
By Andrew Warshaw in Marrakesh
March 26 – On the day FIFA released the bid books of the two contenders to stage the 2026 World Cup, African supporters of Morocco are crying foul over what they perceive as too much power being handed to the all-important panel that will determine whether the underdogs meet the necessary criteria to take on the heavyweight favourites from North America.
By Paul Nicholson
March 21 – Outgoing Liberia FA (LFA) president Musa Bility has petitioned FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino not to release the findings of an audit of the LFA in December last year.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 21 – Gianni Infantino, used to getting his own way since taking over as FIFA president, has failed in his bid to introduce a new global league for women amid concerns that not enough consultation took place with the various stakeholders before the idea was officially tabled.
March 21 – Poland has been awarded the right to host the 2019 U-20 World Cup, seeing off competition from India. Peru will host the 2019 U-17 World Cup.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 19 – Despite reservations far and wide, as anticipated FIFA’s ruling Council has rubber-stamped the decision earlier this month by football’s lawmakers to approve video assistant referees for the World Cup and beyond.
By David Owen
March 18 – FIFA have reported a net loss of $191.5 million for 2017, the third year in the four-year World Cup cycle that will culminate with Russia 2018 this summer.
March 16 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino will ask his Council on Friday in Bogota to approve a global women’s league that will strengthen the growth of the women’s game.
By Samindra Kunti and Andrew Warshaw
March 15 – Having bowed to global pressure and finally banned former Brazilian FA boss Marco Polo Del Nero for 90 days, FIFA’s ethics committee has extended the suspension for a further 45 days while it continues to investigate his alleged role in taking bribes.
March 13 – With just days to go before the two 2026 World Cup contenders have to hand in their bid books to FIFA, Moroccan officials have met with a key group of Asian nations to try and gain crucial support ahead of the vote in June.
March 13 – Former CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb has lost an appeal against a CHF1 million ($1.05 million) fine imposed on him by FIFA for his part in the corruption scandal that left the governing body of the game in tatters.
March 9 – Banned former FIFA president Sepp Blatter says he still hasn’t given up trying to clear his name and intends to ask the new-look FIFA ethics committee to reconsider his case and lift his six-year ban.
March 5 – After a detailed study and a two-year experiment, football’s lawmakers have officially approved the use of a fourth substitute being used in extra time, starting with the World Cup.
By Andrew Warshaw in Zurich
March 4 – So now it’s official. No turning back. But are there still more questions than answers? As anticipated, video assistant referees are set to be used at this year’s World Cup in Russia after football’s lawmakers, the International FA Board (IFAB), voted to roll out the technology when they met at FIFA headquarters in Zurich on Saturday.
By Samindra Kunti in Zurich
March 2 – Gianni Infantino kicked off FIFA’s 4th Conference for Equality and Inclusion with a strong message and call to action to attendees. Although not on the agenda, the ban of women in Iranian football stadiums, in force ever since 1979, provided a subtext to his address.