FIFA – Inside World Football

Visa adds 33 new players to Team Visa programme ahead of 2023 Women’s World Cup

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 01:36:53 +0000

April 12 – FIFA sponsor Visa has unveiled the names of 33 women players who it will sponsor via its Team Visa programme up to and through the Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023.

Visa is the Exclusive Payment Service Partner of FIFA, and has run its Team Visa programme since 2000. To date Visa has provided support to more than 500 athletes worldwide.

The programme is designed to help players “thrive personally and professionally”.

CAF puts Africa’s weight behind Morocco and Iberian 2030 bid. South Americans look isolated

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 06:14:42 +0000

April 12 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has given a significant boost to the joint Morocco, Spain and Portugal bid for the 2030 World Cup.

CAF’s Executive Committee has released a statement that it “unanimously agreed on behalf of African Football to support Morocco’s FIFA World Cup 2030 bid”.

CAF president Patrice Motsepe said: “The unanimous decision that was taken by the CAF Executive Committee to support Morocco’s bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2030 means that the bid of Morocco is now the bid of the African Continent.

A plague of agents? FIFA reports massing of dealmakers on football’s borders

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 04:32:46 +0000

April 12 – FIFA has reported that 6,586 candidates from 138 member associations have applied to take the new FIFA football agent exam scheduled for 19 April.

From October 1, 2023, the use of licensed football agents will become compulsory. With more than 6,000 likely to be licensed by the end of April the choice for any aspiring player looks to be mindboggling.

And there will be even more of them rushing to get their credentials.

FIFA beats 100-day path to WWC kick-off with final ticket sales push

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 08:41:34 +0000

April 11 – The countdown for the Women’s World Cup is on. On Tuesday, Australia and New Zealand marked 100 days until the kick-off of the women’s flagship tournament and the Football Ferns taking on Norway in the curtain raiser.

To mark the milestone, the ‘Unity Beat’ – a tournament chant of symbolic nature – was unveiled and the last-minute sales phase for the finals got underway.

“When the Unity Beat plays in each of the tournament’s nine welcoming host cities,

Argentina bump Brazil off top slot in World Rankings, France take second

Paul Nicholson — Sat, 08 Apr 2023 18:46:22 +0000

April 8 – World Champions Argentina, with wins over Panama and Curacao in the last international window, have returned to the top of the FIFA rankings, replacing Brazil who slipped to third behind France.

Argentina have not topped the rankings for six years. France secured their second place spot with wins over the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland in Euro 2024 qualifying.

The top 20 showed little change with no new teams breaking into the ranking though Senegal (18th,

US women continue to dominate FIFA rankings ahead of World Cup 2023

Paul Nicholson — Sat, 08 Apr 2023 03:21:11 +0000

April 6 – While the men’s World Ranking has seen Argentina take over at the top, the women’s ranking, with teams deep into their April international window, sees the USA still dominant in top position, one they have held since 2017.

The ranking, released March 24, updated with 112 international matches played since December 2022 and included the Play-Off Tournament for the Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand that kicks off this July.

England’s Hewitt steps into FIFA Council role with promise to be more than a silent observer

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 15:07:45 +0000

By Samindra Kunti in Lisbon

April 6 – England once again has a representative on the FIFA Council, football’s top table, after FA president Debbie Hewitt was elected as the British vice-president. Hewitt is the first female vice president in FIFA’s history.

She defeated the incumbent David Martin of Northern Ireland by 39 votes to 16, signalling England’s return to the FIFA Council after Greg Clarke quit in 2019.

FIFAgate: FIFA bans former Peruvian boss Burga for second time for bribery

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 05:55:47 +0000

April 4 – FIFA’s Ethics Committee has handed for Peruvian FA president Manuel Burga (pictured) a life ban from all football-related activity for a second time.

Burga, a former member of both the Conmebol Executive Committee and the FIFA Development Committee, in 2017 stood trial in Brooklyn with two other South American powerbrokers – Juan Napout, of Paraguay, and Jose Maria Marin, of Brazil.

Burga was charged with racketeering conspiracy and accused of having plotted to collect $4.4 million in bribes in exchange for marketing and broadcast rights to matches.

Troublesome youth. FIFA strips Peru of U-17 World Cup hosting for second time

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 06:39:31 +0000

April 4 – Peru has been stripped of the hosting of the U-17 World Cup for the second time by FIFA who said there was not enough time to “secure the required investment and complete the necessary work” with the Peruvian government.

Peru should have staged the tournament in 2021 but the finals were delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

FIFA also removed the 2019 edition from the Peruvians after inspection visits found issues with the prepared infrastructure and organisation.

Former Haitian referees boss Rosnick Grant loses CAS appeal over life ban for sexual abuse

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 03:17:41 +0000

March 31 – FIFA’s lifetime ban on former Haitian Football Federation vice-president and head of referees Rosnick Grant has been upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

FIFA investigated Grant (pictured) as part of a probe into his boss, ex-Haitian FA president Yves Jean-Bart, following appalling allegations of sexual harassment.

FIFA’s Ethics Committee identified Grant as one of the perpetrators of sexual abuse and the life ban in 2021.