Qatar set for Arab Cup kick off and another test of 2022 readiness
November 30 – Mauritania and Tunisia kick off the FIFA Arab Cup tonight, a tournament that will serve as a dress rehearsal for the 2022 World Cup organisers.
FIFA
CWC draw lines up potential Chelsea vs Al Hilal and Palmeiras vs Monterrey semis
November 30 – FIFA has held the draw for the seven-team Club World Cup 2021 in the UAE that will open on February 3 with local team Al Jazira against the OFC’s Auckland City FC from New Zealand.
FIFA tightens grip on Africa with normalisation committees in Chad and Guinea
November 30 – FIFA has appointed normalisation committees in Chad and Guinea, the latest two African countries unable to run their own footballing affairs. The FIFA-appointed officials will oversee elections in both national associations.
FIFA trialling Arab Cup with new semi-automated VAR system
November 30 – The use of technology to help officials detect offside more accurately is being trialled at the Arab Cup, which starts today in Qatar.
Infantino gets backing of African pals for game-changing biennial world cup plan
By Andrew Warshaw
November 29 – Bruised by the generally lukewarm response to his case for the World Cup to be held every two years, Gianni Infantino now claims opponents of the idea are scared of change.
Infantino defends Wenger’s plan for football, saying game is at a ‘critical juncture’
By Paul Nicholson
November 28 – Gianni Infantino has repeated his case for a World Cup to be held every year. Speaking to Asia’s member associations at the Asian Football Confederation congress, held virtually at the weekend, he argued that the game needed to be more global and that it needed to be kept relevant.
FIFA sets Club World Cup UAE 2021 date for Feb 3-12
November 29 – FIFA has set the dates for the postponed Club World Cup 2021 to 3 to 12 February 2022. The eight-team draw will take place today.
Swiss judiciary nominates two special prosecutors to re-start Infantino criminal probe
November 26 – The Swiss criminal investigation into FIFA president Gianni Infantino and his involvement with disgraced former federal prosecutor Michael Lauber looks set to resume, this time with two special prosecutors rather than one.
IFAB rules out 25 min halftime, but 5 subs rolls on
November 26 – Football’s lawmakers have rejected a proposal to increase halftime breaks to 25 minutes to provide the kind of entertainment that exists in US sports.
FIFA set Club World Cup 2021 draw for next week, competition dates to come
November 25 – With Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal becoming the sixth team qualified for the Club World Cup UAE 2021 and Conmebol’s representative to be decided by the Copa Libertadores final this weekend, FIFA have announced the draw will take place in Zurich on Monday, 29 November 2021.
FIFA’s biennial World Cup would cost wider world game €8bn in lost revenue, finds report
November 24 – FIFA’s biennial World Cup revolution could cost domestic leagues and European governing body UEFA around €8 billion per season in lost TV rights and commercial revenues, according to a report commissioned by the leagues from KPMG and FTI’s Delta Partners.
Danish players lead nominations for FIFA Fair Play Award
November 24 – The life-saving intervention of Denmark’s players and medical staff after Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest at Euro 2020 has been nominated for FIFA’s Fair Play Award.
FIFA wraps up 2026 host city inspections with Toronto visit
November 23 – Global governing body FIFA have wrapped up their inspection of candidate host cities for the 2026 World Cup with a final stop in Toronto, Canada. Next year, Zurich will select the final host cities for the tournament, the first global finals to be played in a 48-team format.
Messi and Ronaldo go head-to-head again in FIFA’s annual awards battle
November 23 – FIFA have named their annual nominees for player of the year and it’s no surprise that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are once again in the running for the men’s award despite having a combined age of 70.
Cameroonian club boss slams FIFA and Infantino for ignoring CAS rulings and preventing football development
By Paul Nicholson
November 19 – FIFA has again come under attack for its political maneuvering in Africa, this time from a leading club president in Cameroon who has criticised the world governing body and its president Gianni Infantino for manipulating federation politics, and ignoring rulings made at CAS.