FIFA Organization

ZURICH — FIFA has agreed to delay the first edition of its revamped Club World Cup, due to be held in 2021, to make way for the Euro 2020 and Copa America tournaments, which have been postponed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

After a video conference meeting of regional leaders, global soccer's governing body FIFA said in a statement on Wednesday that it would "decide at a later stage when to schedule the new FIFA Club World Cup which was due to take place in June/July 2021."

Football is facing its first economic crisis for decades with the prospect of mass layoffs of players if nothing is done to bail out clubs left without matches by the coronavirus pandemic, the global players' union FIFPRO said on Tuesday.

Professional football has been wiped off the map for weeks, maybe months, after all the major leagues, cups and international competitions were suspended, culminating in the postponement of Euro 2020 and Copa America on Tuesday.

The International Olympic Committee does not plan any "drastic" decisions about the Tokyo 2020 Games, saying on Tuesday it remains fully committed to the event being staged in four months' time despite the global spread of the coronavirus.

Following discussions with international sports federations the IOC said changes would need to be made to the qualifiers due to the impact of the virus, but it still plans to go ahead with the July 24-Aug 9 Olympics.

MANCHESTER, England — When football's law-making body IFAB met last week, a decision that could massively impact the game at all levels passed barely noticed as the debate over VAR technology hogged the limelight.

Officials of IFAB, the International Football Association Board, made up of the four British home nations and FIFA, agreed to conduct a year-long review into the offside law, which is expected to end with a proposal for a new rule.

The implications were not lost on Mark Bullingham, chief executive of England's Football Association.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin told European football's administrators on Tuesday that they can be proud to be in charge of the most popular, wealthiest and best football in the world.

In a surprisingly blunt message, the Slovenian told his organisation's annual congress that they should not be ashamed of the success of tournaments such as the Champions League and the Euros — nor the huge amount money they generate.

Former Liverpool and England striker Daniel Sturridge has been suspended from all football-related activity until June 17 after he was found guilty of breaching betting rules, English football's governing body (FA) said on Monday.

Sturridge became a free agent earlier on Monday after mutually agreeing to terminate his contract with Turkish side Trabzonspor.

He had been charged by the FA in July with 11 alleged breaches of its betting rules, nine of which were dismissed by an independent regulatory commission, and banned for six weeks — four of which were suspended.

Donald Trump absconded to Davos, Switzerland, this week for a brief appearance at the World Economic Forum. While there, the U.S. President met with FIFA president Gianni Infantino. 

What followed was one person saying some really stupid stuff (no, it wasn’t Trump) and some really awkward coverage of the whole exchange.

The 2019 Women's World Cup was a marvelous show of just how popular and powerful women’s soccer is. From Megan Rapinoe’s on- and off-field performances, to the stellar competition from start to finish to huge crowds in France and viewership on TV, the tournament was a rousing success.

Now FIFA wants to cheapen the whole experience.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has hit Russia with a four-year ban from international sport after a special meeting at the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Switzerland resulted in a unanimous vote to suspend the nation. 

The suspension results in Russia being banned from participating at next summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. However, the decision from WADA doesn’t affect Russia’s participation at UEFA Euro 2020 since the tournament isn’t classified as a “major event.”

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Monday recommended banning Russia from global sports for four years, including a ban on hosting major events. Oddly, any such ban will not affect the Russia Euro 2020 team, because it does not fall under WADA’s “major event” classification. But questions remain about the 2022 World Cup.