By Andrew Warshaw
December 7 – The FIFA corruption scandal has taken another mouth-watering twist with the revelation that the FBI is investigating the role Sepp Blatter may have played in a $100 million bribery scam.
By Samindra Kunti
December 7 – Marcus Antonio Vicente is the new president of the Brazilian Football Association CBF. He assumed the position on an interim basis after Marco Polo Del Nero was indicted by the FBI last week.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 7 – A leaked memo published in a French newspaper on Sunday should clear Michel Platini’s name and allow him to bid for the FIFA presidency in February, according to his legal team.
By Ben Nicholson
December 7 – David Beckham is al last enjoying some Floridian sunlight on his campaign to exercise his contractual option to create an MLS expansion team. After three years of toiling, and scorching in political heat, Beckham has secured a site for his team’s home stadium. The MLS approved the location, getting Beckham over a hurdle that last week threatened to indefinitely suspend the idea.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 5 – The two FIFA vice-presidents arrested by police in Zurich on Thursday as part of the burgeoning corruption scandal have been handed 90-day provisional suspensions by the ethics committee.
Working your way through the 240-page “superseding indictment” unveiled on Thursday by United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch by way of a powerful aftershock to the earthquake that laid waste to the FIFA Congress in May, it would be all too easy to form the view that we should disband FIFA and start all over again with governance of the world’s most popular sport.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 4 – Europe’s leading clubs, having been given no say in FIFA’s reform package, have issued a strongly worded rebuke of the organisation’s attempt to clean itself up.
December 4 – When the current agreement between logistics company Hermes and the Deutsche Fußball Liga comes to a close, new vistas for sponsorship are expected to open up as the DFL has decided not to extend the collective agreement but will allow all 36 clubs to sell their own shirt sleeve sponsorship.
December 4 – While Manchester City’s holding company City Football group has been making headlines signing up a $400 million shareholder to boost the group’s expansion into China, the company’s prime asset has been deepening its links with its domestic fans via an integrated marketing deal with a travel partner.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 4 – Domenico Scala, head of FIFA’s audit and compliance committee, part of whose job has been to police financial wrongdoing, has praised the reform programme announced Thursday but says a complete culture change is needed to ensure it is successfully implemented.
You can take Thursday’s momentous events on both sides of the Atlantic one of two ways. Either you can argue that on the most eagerly anticipated day in its clean-up process, FIFA had its thunder stolen like never before and the rug humiliatingly yanked from under its feet. Or you can argue that the staggering scale and choking stench of corruption unveiled by US attorney general Loretta Lynch within hours of the game-changing reform measures being announced at FIFA headquarters only served to prove that world football’s governing body is at least looking to the future and acknowledges how desperately it needs a complete overhaul.
December 4 – Manchester United is again using its MUTV channel to drive the club’s brand and commercial presence into international markets. Last week it announced a distribution deal into Indonesia, this week it unveiled a partnership with telecoms giant Cable and Wireless Communications for the Caribbean.
By Samindra Kunti
December 4 – A study by the French consumer organisation QFC-Que Choisir has revealed that hotel rates during EURO2016 are set to skyrocket with rates up 45% on average from €97 to €141 across France.
December 4 – Liverpool under new German manager Jurgen Klopp are starting to look sharp. Wednesday night they slammed six goals past Southampton to book a place in the League Cup semi-final against Stoke.
By Paul Nicholson
December 4 – Just when FIFA’s executive committee thought it was safe to return to Zurich for their final meeting of the year – an event that would climax with the eagerly anticipated unveiling of FIFA’s new (and game-changing) reform proposals – football’s now habitual party poopers from the US justice authorities unleashed a second tsunami on the world governing body.