Football

Fifa’s efforts to instigate reform through its Independent Ethics Commission last week came within hours of being dealt a crippling blow from within world football’s governing body, according to the Reuters news agency.

Jose Fortunati, Mayor of Brazilian city Porto Alegre, has warned that the Beira Rio stadium could be withdrawn as a host venue for the 2014 Fifa World Cup if arrangements to finance temporary structures are not concluded this week.

The German Football League (DFL) has announced that goal-line technology (GLT) will not be used in the Bundesliga or 2.Bundesliga “until further notice” following a meeting of all 36 professional clubs today (Monday).

The Russian Football Union (RFU) has confirmed it plans to bring the two Crimean clubs playing in the Ukrainian Premier League over to the Russian league system.

Fifa announced today (Friday) that it generated a financial surplus of $72m (€52m) for the 2013 financial year to increase its cash reserves to $1.432bn.

The German Football Association (DFB) has announced it will develop a new purpose-built academy and headquarters, in a move that is set to keep the organisation in the city of Frankfurt.

Major League Soccer (MLS) club Seattle Sounders and NFL American football franchise Seattle Seahawks have announced that the Sounders’ business operations will become independent from April 30.

Football Federation Australia (FFA) chairman Frank Lowy has declared the surplus from the expected sale of Western Sydney Wanderers will be split between the nine other A-League football clubs.

The Lagardere Unlimited Stadium Solutions (LUSS) arm of media conglomerate Lagardere has reached an agreement in principle to take over control of Stockholm’s Friends Arena, which has been hit by problems since opening in October 2012.

The Qatar 2022 World Cup organising committee has insisted that its successful bid to host the international football showpiece did not contravene regulations set out by Fifa, the sport’s world governing body, after new allegations emerged in a UK newspaper.

An announcement regarding the staging of the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar will not be made before the start of next year, according to Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa.

The English Premier League has formalised a partnership to work closely with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on social and commercial development initiatives.

The advisory board of Bayern Munich has proposed Karl Hopfner as the new president of the German Bundesliga top-tier football club.

Bayern Munich has announced that Adidas chief executive Herbert Hainer will succeed Uli Hoeness as chairman of its supervisory board after the latter’s decision to resign from the post earlier today (Friday).

Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke has said the completion of temporary infrastructure represents Brazil’s biggest challenge in its preparations for this summer’s World Cup, adding that organisers are now engaged in a “race” to ensure work is completed for the football showpiece.

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has announced he will not appeal against his three-and-a-half year prison sentence for tax evasion and will step down from his positions at the German Bundesliga football club, describing the episode as the “biggest mistake of my life”.