December 14 – FIFA’s top refereeing administrator, former World Cup official Pierluigi Collina (pictured), has hit out at last Monday’s attack on Turkish referee Halil Umut Meler that made global headlines.
By Samindra Kunti in Doha
December 13 – Once among the most vocal critics of labour conditions in the host country of the 2022 World Cup, European football associations have generally failed in their promises to follow up on the legacy of the tournament in Qatar.
December 13 – The FIFA Museum has bolstered its showcase line-up after acquiring nearly 400 objects from the Women’s World Cup 2023.
December 13 – FIFA has announced the finalists for The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper and The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper awards ahead of the 2023 edition of The Best FIFA Football Awards ahead of the ceremony next month.
December 12 – FIFA President Gianni Infantino said there is “no hiding place” for those who abuse players and officials online, after FIFA and FIFPRO’s collaborative report on the Social Media Protection Service (SMPS) at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 revealed it succeeded in protecting almost 700 players and coaches from online abuse during the tournament.
December 11 – FIFA has received three bids to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup, the global governing body confirmed Saturday.
December 7 – FIFA considered a longer ban than the three-year sanction it imposed on disgraced former Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales for kissing Spanish World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso on the lips.
December 5 – On the sidelines of Cop28, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said that the global governing body cares about climate change, though he has come under increasing criticism for his own carbon footprint.
December 5 – In commemoration of World AIDS Day, the FIFA Foundation partnered with Perkumpulan Rumah Cemara to orchestrate a friendly match in Bandung in an effort to raise awareness for the Indonesia Without Stigma campaign.
December 4 – Indonesia wants to jointly stage the 2025 Under-20 World Cup with Singapore, despite being stripped of hosting rights to this year’s tournament.
December 4 – Germany have won the U-17 World Cup for the first time, and in doing so defeated France for the second time in a major final this year after penalties.
December 1 – A court has ruled that FIFA’s new agency rules cannot be legally applied in the UK, putting the global rollout of the rules in their current into question. FIFA could end up shelving them completely while they lick their wounds from the legal loss.
December 1 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has stressed the need for broadcasters to pay “a fair price” for the commercial rights to women’s football.
November 30 – South Africa have dropped out of the race for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, reducing the bidding field to three bids. The Africans want to focus on landing the 2031 finals.
