Grondona to step down as head of AFA in 2015 but continue at FIFA
January 30 – Julio Grondona, president of the Argentinean Football Federation (AFA) has said he will step down from the AFA presidency in 2015, at the end of his current term.
World Football
La Coruña still have a sporting chance to avoid administration, but situation rapidly worsening in Bucharest
By Mark Baber
December 19 – Spanish club Deportivo de La Coruña are in imminent danger of entering administration.
Anti-corruption body urges Council of Europe to push for “urgent reform” at FIFA
By Andrew Warshaw
December 20 – An anti-corruption panel advising FIFA has called on the Council of Europe to push for “urgent” reform at football’s world governing body after suggesting its own efforts to bring about change were being blocked.
Barça coach Vilanova temporarily steps down for cancer treatment
By Andrew Warshaw
December 20 – Messages of support are flooding in from around the world after Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova stepped down temporarily because of a cancer recurrence.
Napoli outraged at two-point sanction for match-fixing
By Andrew Warshaw
December 20 – Italian club Napoli are up in arms for being hit with a two-point deduction after becoming the latest Italian club sanctioned for alleged match-fixing.
Kosovo “disappointed” with partial FIFA acceptance and push for full membership
By Andrew Warshaw
December 18 – Kosovo’s Football Federation (FFK) are to push for full membership of FIFA after receiving only partial acceptance from football’s world governing body.
US Soccer Federation to launch National Women’s Soccer League
By Andrew Warshaw
December 18 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) will be the name of a third attempt to create a lasting and credible women’s professional league in the United States of America.
Bin Hammam throws in the towel
By Andrew Warshaw
December 17 – The most damaging scandal in the history of FIFA came to an abrupt conclusion today when Mohamed Bin Hammam dropped his long-running fight to clear his name, walking away after being banned for life by FIFA for “repeated violations” of the world governing body’s code of ethics while he was head of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Blatter to question Serbia’s paltry sanctions from UEFA
By Andrew Warshaw
December 17 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter is to contact his opposite number at UEFA, Michel Platini, to question the meagre sanctions handed to Serbia by Europe’s governing body in the wake of the racism and violence that marred the under-21 tie against England in Kruševac in October.
Former FIFA vice-president Warner backs Bin Hammam
By Andrew Warshaw
December 17 – Former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner insists Mohamed Bin Hammam would have had a “great chance” of beating Sepp Blatter in last year’s FIFA Presidential race had bribery allegations not derailed his campaign.
FIFA extends Indonesia sanction deadline as festive gesture
By Andrew Warshaw
December 17 – FIFA has given Indonesia one final chance to put its house in order in what President Sepp Blatter described as a “Christmas gift”.
12 Bulgarian players arrested for match-fixing allegations
By Andrew Warshaw
December 14 – Bulgarian police have detained 12 players and two alleged organisers in the first arrests of an ongoing investigation into match-fixing.
Cyprus FA President to hold meeting to reunite divided island
By Andrew Warshaw
December 14 – A hugely symbolic development in relations between the football authorities on both sides of the political divide in Cyprus will take place in the New Year when the President of the Cyprus Football Association (CFA), Costakis Koutsokoumnis, holds a formal meeting with representatives on the Turkish-controlled north of the island.
FIFA close Mohamed Bin Hammam bribery case
By Andrew Warshaw
December 14 – The FIFA-appointed corruption buster looking into the conduct of Mohamed Bin Hammam, the man who tried to challenge Sepp Blatter for the FIFA Presidency, has admitted no new charges will be brought to support the claim that Bin Hammam bribed Caribbean officials during his doomed election campaign.
FA criticise UEFA’s Serbia racial abuse punishment
By Andrew Warshaw
December 14 – Despite UEFA President Michel Platini’s oft-quoted insistence that his organisation favoured a zero tolerance approach to racism, Serbian authorities were handed a series of less than drastic sanctions today in the wake of their fans’ behaviour at the now infamous under-21 fixture against England in October.