Fifa

Qatar will implement promised reforms to its restrictive labour laws by the end of this year, with the country’s top diplomat stating it will host the “best ever” Fifa World Cup in 2022.

South African businessman and former political prisoner Tokyo Sexwale is said to be considering running for the presidency of Fifa, world football’s governing body.

Uefa president Michel Platini has run into criticism for his decision to run for the top job in world football, with three of his likely rivals for the Fifa presidency questioning his suitability for the role.

Uefa president Michel Platini today (Wednesday) confirmed his intention to stand for the presidency of Fifa, stating that he has been encouraged by the support he has received from the member associations of world football’s governing body.

Fifa has confirmed that its new reforms task force will be chaired by an “independent person from outside football” following criticism of the attempts by world football’s governing body to move on from a scandal-hit period.

Fifa has today (Monday) hailed a legal victory in its ongoing efforts to eradicate third-party ownership (TPO) of players as it emerged that Domenico Scala, the head of the auditing and compliance committee at world football’s governing body, has turned down the chance to chair its new reform taskforce.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter has said world football’s governing body has passed a resolution offering its full backing to Russia’s staging of the 2018 World Cup amid ongoing investigations into the bidding process for the tournament and cut-backs in preparations for the event.

South Korean tycoon Chung Mong-joon has said he will formally announce his candidacy for the Fifa presidency next month, while Visa has become the latest top-tier sponsor of world football’s governing body to call for an independent commission to reform the way the organisation is run.

Football Association of Thailand (FAT) president and former Fifa Executive Committee member, Worawi Makudi, has said he will appeal after being found guilty of forgery during his 2013 re-election campaign for his leadership position in Thai football.

Domenico Scala, the head of the auditing and compliance committee at Fifa, is reportedly set to chair the new reform taskforce at world football’s governing body after being backed by three confederation presidents.

Audience ratings and trends for major events in 2014-15 including the Fifa World Cup, Winter Olympics, Tour de France and more, with data from Eurodata TV Worldwide.The Fifa World Cup 2014 generated the largest average audience for a major international sports event (as opposed to domestic leagues and competitions) in four of the five major European markets in 2014-15. 

South Korean tycoon Chung Mong-joon has admitted he is considering running for the presidency of Fifa and has slammed football’s governing body for allowing Sepp Blatter to remain at the helm until next February.

Fifa has said that the election for its new president will be held on February 26 as incumbent Sepp Blatter confirmed he would not stand again and football’s global governing body revealed that an 11-person task force would be formed to address reform issues.

Coca-Cola and McDonald’s, two of Fifa’s major partners, have urged football’s global governing body to reform ahead of a meeting today (Monday) to set a date for a vote to replace outgoing president Sepp Blatter.

Fifa’s ethics committee has called for a change in rules to allow for more information to be released about ongoing investigations at football’s global governing body.

US senators yesterday (Wednesday) called for an extensive overhaul in the way football is administered by both global and US governing bodies, as a collective of labour union and human rights groups stepped up their campaign for reform at Fifa.