Entertainment

• Thursday, July 2nd 2015 - 05:45 UTC

  FIFA chief Blatter convinced he's “clean” and one day will go to heaven

  

  Sepp Blatter, president of the world soccer governing body FIFA that is embroiled in corruption investigations, has told a German magazine he has a 'clean and clear' conscience and believes he will “go to heaven one day”.

• Monday, June 29th 2015 - 07:05 UTC

  End of Copa America for Chile's “Finger of God” Jara: three matches suspension

  

  Chile defender Gonzalo Jara will miss the rest of the current Copa America after being suspended for three matches for sticking his finger up an opponent's backside and feigning injury during a match.

• Thursday, June 25th 2015 - 07:36 UTC

  Irish players deny receiving bribes not to injure Messi, as was reported by La Nacion

  

  An Argentine newspaper has claimed that Irish players received bribes not to injure Lionel Messi at the opening game in the Aviva Stadium in 2010, but the story has been dismissed in the strongest possible terms by the Irish football association, FAI. According to La Nacion, a Fifa official was forced to go to extraordinary lengths to bring the Barcelona superstar and his team mates to Dublin.

• Wednesday, June 24th 2015 - 07:35 UTC

  Conmebol with no access to funds to pay for prizes and teams' lodgings

  

  The current edition of the Americas Cup, the main football competition of South America organized every four years by the South American Football Confederation, Conmebol, and which this year is being hosted by Chile, apparently does not have the funds to pay for prizes and for the lodging of the twelve national teams involved.

• Tuesday, June 23rd 2015 - 05:29 UTC

  Maradona announce he intends to run for FIFA's presidency

  

  Argentine football legend Diego Maradona has thrown his hat into the ring for the FIFA presidency, according to reports. Reuters quoted Uruguayan journalist and author Victor Hugo Morales saying that Maradona, 54, had revealed his plan on Sunday.

• Thursday, June 18th 2015 - 06:02 UTC

  Falklands' makes its debut among Argentine fans in the America Cup

  

  The America Copa (Cup) currently being played in Chile, and the region's national teams main football competition, has not been without incidents. The one that has attracted most headlines, so far, was the host's leading squad player, Arturo Vidal who went on public television to apologize for drunk driving after crashing his Ferrari.

• Thursday, June 18th 2015 - 05:01 UTC

  Switzerland pulling the noose: evidence of 53 FIFA suspicious banking reports

  

  Swiss authorities say they have evidence of 53 suspicious FIFA-linked banking relations reported by Swiss banks. Under the Anti-Money-Laundering Framework of Switzerland, banks are required to report any suspicious activity that happens within their accounts. Some of the 53 suspicious reports are among 104 banking relations already known by the investigators.

• Thursday, June 18th 2015 - 04:51 UTC

  ITUC challenges football associations and sponsors to push for independent FIFA reform commission

  

  The International Trade Unions Congress, ITUC is calling on national football associations to push for genuine reform of FIFA through the establishment of an independent commission, and not merely accept that FIFA can suddenly reform itself under a leadership which has failed to end corruption after years of multi-million dollar scandals

• Saturday, June 13th 2015 - 07:04 UTC

  Interpol suspends $29m agreement with FIFA to fight illegal betting and match-fixing

  

  Interpol has suspended its $29 million agreement to fight illegal betting and match-fixing amid the bribery allegations engulfing world football’s governing body. The 10-year deal was struck in May 2011 and under the agreement, Interpol was to have received 4 million Euros in each of the first two years, followed by 1.5 million Euros in each of the following eight.

• Friday, June 12th 2015 - 05:42 UTC

  FIFA communications director ousted; former Brazilian star wants Blatter's job

  

  The director of communications & public affairs at FIFA has stepped down with immediate effect. FIFA announced on June 11, via release, that Walter de Gregorio would be stepping down and serving on a “consultancy basis” through the calendar year. De Gregorio joined FIFA in September 2011.