Federations – Inside World Football

Japan’s J1 League to bring in penalty shoot-outs for transition season

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 10:40:58 +0000

February 20 – As Japan’s J1 League’s 2026 begins the transition to aligning its football calendar with the rest of the world, it is tinkering with one of football’s oldest results, the draw.

During this season, matches will no longer end level. If scores are tied after 90 minutes, the game will move straight to a penalty shootout to decide a winner.

Three points will still be awarded for a regulation win,

Whoop agrees Al Nasser performance partnership

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 08:38:53 +0000

February 20 – Whoop has agreed a global partnership with Al Nassr FC, becoming the club’s exclusive fitness, performance and health wearable technology partner through the end of the 2026 Saudi Pro League season.

The deal covers the men’s first team and will see WHOOP’s monitoring devices integrated into daily training and recovery programmes. The two organisations also plan to produce digital content offering supporters insight into performance data and preparation processes.

The agreement formalises what had already been happening at player level.

The post Whoop agrees Al Nasser performance partnership appeared first on Inside World Football.

Chinese FA crackdown hits clubs with points deductions and fines for match-fixing and corruption

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 04:18:07 +0000

January 30 – Nine clubs will begin the new Chinese Super League (CSL) season with points deductions after the latest round of sanctions stemming from investigations into match-fixing, gambling and corruption.

This is another major blow to the domestic game that has spent the better part of a decade battling credibility issues.

Shanghai Shenhua, last season’s runners-up, and Tianjin Tigers received the heaviest penalties, each docked 10 points before a ball is even kicked.

Philippine FA delegation treads ‘strategic pathway’ to Romania

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 01:48:03 +0000

January 30 – The Romanian Football Federation (FRF) is hosting an official delegation from the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) this week, marking a significant milestone in a strategic partnership aimed at helping revolutionise football in the Philippines.

The visit, which includes the PFF President, secretary general, and technical director, is part of the ‘Strategic Pathways’ project. Launched under the UEFA Together umbrella, this collaboration runs from September 2023 to July 2026. Its primary goal is to leverage the FRF’s expertise to develop a robust strategic management plan for Philippine football for the 2026–2030 period.

Cambodia earns AFC recognition as it starts academy development journey

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 02:47:55 +0000

January 23 – The Football Federation of Cambodia (FFC) has taken a step forward in its youth development ambitions after being awarded one-star status under the AFC Elite Youth Scheme.

The designation follows an on-site visit by members of the AFC Youth Panel, who spent time at the FFC headquarters assessing Cambodia’s Youth Development Master Plan for 2025–2030 and holding a series of meetings with the federation’s technical and administrative leadership.

According to the AFC,

Central Coast Mariners seeks new owner as Aussie league takes over running of club

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 08:34:50 +0000

January 19 – The Australian Professional Leagues (APL) has taken interim control of the Central Coast Mariners after terminating the club’s current participation agreement, moving to stabilise one of the A-Leagues’ most established teams while a new ownership group is sought.

The decision follows notification from the Mariners’ operator that it had forfeited its Club Participation Agreement (CPA). In response, the APL stepped in to end the existing arrangement and take direct management of the club for the remainder of the process,

Indian Super League given February start date after months of dispute

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 06:48:25 +0000

January 8 – After months of uncertainty and delays, the top-flight of Indian football is back, with season 12 of the Indian Super League now scheduled to kick off on February 14.

The league has been plagued by financial disagreement and legal dispute over rights representation. The loss earlier this month of City Football Group (owner of Manchester City) who exited Mumbai City FC, was not an endorsement of the league’s financial governance.

Uzbekistan invests in development of academy and pro team in Kattakurgan

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 00:05:20 +0000

January 5 – Uzbekistan, who will appear at their first World Cup in 2026, is pursuing an expansion of the country’s domestic professional game with the city of Kattakurgan in the Samarkand region receiving government support to expand its infrastructure.

A Resolution of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on December 23 highlighted “further intensification of measures aimed at socio-economic development in the Samarakand region”, and included the establishment of a football academy in Kattakurgan.

CFG pull out of India’s Mumbai City FC

Paul Nicholson — Sun, 28 Dec 2025 19:09:09 +0000

December 29 – City Football Group (CFG), who have built a 13-team multi-club ownership model around Manchester City, are pulling out of Indian Super League side Mumbai City FC.

Having bought 65% of the club’s share in 2019, Mumbai City will now return to the full ownership of Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor and businessman Bimal Parekh.

“The founding owners will assume full control of the organisation moving forward,” Mumbai said in a statement on their official website.

The post CFG pull out of India’s Mumbai City FC appeared first on Inside World Football.

FIFA and Qatar renew MoU focused on raising club management standards within the QSL

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:08:26 +0000

December 23 – FIFA has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding with the Qatar Stars League (QSL) and Qatar Football Association (QFA) that will focus on helping the Qataris raise standards of professional club management and administration across the Qatar Stars League’s first- and second-division clubs.

The MoU was signed on Qatar’s national day on the fringes of the Arab Cup final in Doha, Qatar, last week by FIFA president Gianni Infantino (pictured left) and Jassim binRashid AlBuainain (pictured right),

PSG targets deeper Chinese engagement with launch of Guangdong academy

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 00:20:50 +0000

December 22 – Paris Saint-Germain’s new academy in China’s Guangdong Province is the latest example of the growing trend of top European clubs planting long-term roots in Chinese football.

For PSG, Guangdong builds on existing academies in Hong Kong and Macao while deepening the club’s footprint in the Asian region. This model is now almost cookie-cutter.

Partner with a local operator, deliver their own ‘unique’ club curriculum, train local coaches, and connect promising players to an international network of camps and tournaments.

Expanded U17 World Cup kicks off today in Qatar

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 05:20:59 +0000

November 3 – South Africa and Bolivia will kick off the U-17 World Cup in Qatar today, the first of five 48-team tournaments in the age group to be staged in the Gulf nation.

On a busy opening day, hosts Qatar will play Italy, Argentina will take on Belgium and New Caledonia will face Portugal.

On Tuesday, Germany will be in action against Colombia. They are the defending champions after defeating France on penalties in the 2023 U-17 World Cup.

Infantino announces FIFA is expanding its competition roster in Asia with new launch FIFA ASEAN Cup

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 11:47:53 +0000

October 26 – At the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Malaysia, world football’s governing body FIFA launched a new tournament for Southeast Asian nations, football boss Gianni Infantino confirmed on Sunday.

Modelled after the FIFA Arab Cup, FIFA has added the ASEAN Cup to the calendar, aiming to stage the competition during the international match window.

The region is already home to the ASEAN Championship, a biennial tournament that has been dominated by Vietnam and Thailand in recent years and enjoys regional prestige.

Malaysian league agrees wide randing deal with digital disruptor Ryt Bank

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 09:13:16 +0000

October 27 – The Malaysian Football League (MFL) has announced a partnership with Ryt Bank in a deal that positions the fintech firm as both the Official Digital Banking Partner and Official VAR Technology Partner of the Malaysian League.

The agreement marks a bold step for Malaysian football, pairing the country’s top professional competition with one of the most disruptive forces in the financial technology sector. It’s also the first time a digital bank has taken on a dual role supporting both the league’s commercial and technological operations.

Kluivert leaves Indonesia after losing final 2026 group qualifiers

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 04:25:48 +0000

October 17 – Patrick Kluivert and Indonesia have parted ways after the Dutch manager failed to qualify the national team to the 2026 World Cup.

Last weekend, Iraq dumped Indonesia out of World Cup contention with a 1-0 victory and the elimination prompted the Indonesian FA (PSSI) to remove Kluivert, who had arrived in January.

On Thursday, the PSSI released a statement saying: “The termination of this collaboration [between PSSI and the national team’s coaching staff] was based on mutual consent,

Japan stun Brazil 3-2 with comeback win to break Ancelotti’s unbeaten run

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 09:05:41 +0000

October 15 – Japan staged an impressive second-half comeback in Tokyo to claim their first-ever victory over Brazil in a friendly.

It was a night of firsts in the Japanese capital: in 13 meetings, the Asian side had never defeated the five-time world champions, but that changed on Wednesday when Ayase Ueda struck with a thumping header in the 71st minute to complete a rearguard win after the hosts had fallen behind 2-0 before half-time.

FIFA’s Afghan women’s refugee team is picked and ready for UAE action

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 06:17:23 +0000

October 2 – In Afghanistan girls have been banned by the ruling Taliban from any form of secondary school education. Later this month an Afghan women’s refugee team will take part in a four team international friendly tournament in the UAE.

The two worlds could hardly be further apart.

The Afghan refugees team is the creation of a FIFA-led project and part of a FIFA commitment to bring Afghan women to international football.

Amnesty calls on FIFA and UEFA to ban Israel over settlement clubs playing in Israeli leagues

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 13:03:24 +0000

October 1- Amnesty International has added its voice to calls for FIFA and UEFA to suspend Israel from the international game because of Israeli settlement clubs in the West Bank.

In a letter addressed to Gianni Infantino and Aleksander Ceferin, the NGO invoked a violation of international law and article 64.2 of the FIFA statutes to demand that the governing bodies act against Israel. On Thursday, the FIFA Council will meet, but it is understood that Israel is not on the agenda.

Afghan FA boss accused of asking for $10K bribe to put Aussie-based player on national team

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 00:42:48 +0000

October 1 – The president of the Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF), Mohammad Yousef Kargar (pictured), has been accused of demanding a $10,000 bribe to secure a place for a player on the national team.

In leaked recordings broadcast by Afghanistan International TV, Kargar is heard negotiating with the brother of Nesar Ahmad Mohmand, a midfielder plying his trade in Australia’s second tier.

“Once it arrives on Saturday, I will inform the coach,

Croatian and Japanese FAs sign wide-ranging co-operation agreement

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 00:20:25 +0000

September 19 – The Croatian Football Federation (HNS) and the Japan Football Association (JFA) have signed a cooperation agreement, strengthening the relationship between the two organisations. The deal was finalized at a meeting in Tokyo by HNS president Marijan Kustić and JFA president Tsuneyasu Miyamoto.

“I thank President Miyamoto and his associates for the warm welcome and the open, constructive discussion. Japan has made exceptional strides in football development since the early nineties and is now the most successful football association in Asia.

Indian FA and its sales partner near agreement on December kick-off for Super League

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 06:00:32 +0000

August 29 – The Indian FA (AIFF) and its commercial partner Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), have proposed to schedule the start of the Indian Super League (ISL) in December.

At long last, a solution in Indian might be in sight after months of deadlock. The All India Football Federation and FSDL held discussions, as directed by the Supreme Court, with the outcome being a plan to kick-off of the top flight in December.

Indian court orders AIFF and Super League operator FSDL to agree a new deal

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 08:10:43 +0000

August 22 – India’s Supreme Court has stepped in to break the ISL deadlock, directing the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and league organisers Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) to seek a swift resolution.

Indian media report that the country’s highest court Supreme Court (SC) mandated AIFF FSDL, to sit together and chalk out the future of the Master Rights Agreement that grants FSDL operation of the league but which due to an impasse over the contract is now endangering the Indian Super League (ISL).

Fifpro calls for road map to start of crisis-hit Indian Super League season

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 09:15:05 +0000

August 20 – World players’ union Fifpro has pressed for urgent action to end the crisis paralysing Indian domestic football as the Indian Super League (ISL) remains on hold.

The Indian top flight had been scheduled to kick off in September, but the ISL remains suspended after negotiations between the Indian FA (AIFF) and its commercial partner, the Football Sports Development Ltd (FDSL), stalled. At the same time, a Supreme Court ruling is pending over the validity of the AIFF constitution.

Bengaluru FC suspend wages as doubts grow over future of Indian Super League

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 09:00:42 +0000

August 6 – With the future of the Indian Super League (ISL) in doubt, Bengaluru FC have stopped paying the salaries of players and staff.

Indian football is once again in crisis, this time at the club level. Negotiations between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) over the ISL master rights agreement have stalled, leaving the future of the country’s top flight uncertain.

As a result,

Shillong, India, plans for 40,000 capacity football stadium

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 00:04:28 +0000

July 28 – The hill city of Shillong in India is getting a serious football facelift. The Government of Meghalaya has broken ground on a new 40,000-capacity stadium – a project that aims to put the state, and India, firmly on the international football map.

Planned to meet full FIFA and AFC specifications, the Mawkhanu Football Stadium is being billed as the country’s largest purpose-built football venue. Designed by Collage Design, the stadium is expected to host everything from top-tier international matches to major cultural events.

Al Nassr hand Ronaldo £492m 2-year deal

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 03:44:58 +0000

June 27 – Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a record-breaking new two-year contract with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, worth a staggering £492 million in basic salary, making it the most lucrative deal in sports history, according to reports.

The Portuguese star, now 40, will reportedly earn an eye-watering £488,000 per day, taking him well past his 42nd birthday. On top of the base pay, he will receive a £24.5 million signing bonus, rising to £38 million if he stays for the second year.

The post Al Nassr hand Ronaldo £492m 2-year deal appeared first on Inside World Football.

Palestine FA wins warmth of FIFA Congress but is brutally shut down by FIFA executive

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 16 May 2025 04:55:16 +0000

May 16 – FIFA and its administration have once again kicked the issue of Israeli settlement clubs into the long grass, a tradition the world governing body has maintained for more than a decade.

At the end of her intervention at the 75th FIFA Congress in Asuncion, Paraguay, Susan Shalabi, the vice-president of the Palestinian FA (PFA), said: “Let’s not keep passing the bucket from one committee to another while football in Palestine is being erased.”

But minutes later,

Saudi women’s coaches complete week-long exchange at Frauen-Bundesliga’s Frankfurt and RB Leipzig

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 16 May 2025 00:33:16 +0000

May 16 – A week-long coaching exchange between the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) and Bundesliga clubs Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig has wrapped up in Germany, marking another significant step in Saudi Arabia’s growing investment in women’s football.

The programme brought a delegation of female Saudi coaches and officials to Germany, where they participated in a series of workshops, pitch-side training sessions, and strategic meetings focused on club structure, youth development, and best coaching practices in the women’s game.

FIFA to fill gender gap with women’s refugee team, but Afghan FA remains a FIFA member

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 12 May 2025 04:49:16 +0000

May 12 – FIFA is to establish an Afghan women’s refugee football team, allowing exiled Afghan players to compete in matches recognised by the sport’s global governing body, but which will not count towards the country’s ranking.

The decision, hailed by FIFA’s president Gianni Infantino as a “landmark” decision, represents a first step in the exiled players’ demand for the recognition of Afghanistan’s women’s national team, which the Taliban regime has shut down.

J.League sets record single day attendance record

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 12 May 2025 03:08:09 +0000

May 12 – Japan’s Meiji Yasuda J.League has set a new record for total attendance in a single day, recording more than 420,000 fans for the first time in the league’s history on May 3.

A National Holiday, the total attendance for the 28 J1 League to J3 League matches was 420,416.

The record hammered the previous record of 381,296 in the 2024 Meiji Yasuda J.League, also set on the May 3 National Holiday.