FA Technical Dir Dan Ashworth reportedly told the England women's team that then-Manager Mark Sampson was "innocent of racism allegations" in a speech before last month's match against Russia. Sampson was sacked the next day for "inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour" while at his previous job with Bristol Academy (BBC, 10/25).
A former Guatemalan judge who once served as a general secretary of the exec board of the country's football federation was sentenced to eight months in prison on Wednesday. Hector Trujillo, 64, was the first person to be sentenced in a U.S. probe into bribery surrounding FIFA. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen in Brooklyn, N.Y. Trujillo pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy in June (REUTERS, 10/25).
The English Football League "decided not to act over allegations that stewards made female fans show their bras" during "grossly invasive" security searches. At least 10 League Two side Grimsby Town supporters said that they had their bras checked by stewards before the match against Stevenage on Aug. 19 (London GUARDIAN, 10/25).
Argentina's ambassador to Russia, Ricardo Lagorio, "moved to reassure fans that next year's World Cup will be safe." A pro-ISIS media group this week "issued a threat to carry out an attack at the World Cup in Russia" with a poster of Lionel Messi "crying tears of blood." Lagorio said, "I have no doubt that the Russian government and the Russian [football] federation will fully guarantee the safety of the World Cup" (ESPN.com, 10/26).
Some Juventus fans "turned their backs and sang the Italian national anthem during a minute's silence to remember the Holocaust" before the Serie A game against SPAL. A passage of Anne Frank's diary was read before Wednesday's matches after an anti-Semitic incident at Lazio on Sunday. At most stadiums, the minute's silence "turned into applause" (BBC, 10/26).
The German FA (DFB) confirmed it opened an investigation against Magdeburg and Borussia Dortmund for "setting off fireworks" at Tuesday's DFB Pokal (German Cup) match. Ahead of the clash at the MDCC-Arena, Magdeburg supporters displayed a "Saw"-inspired tifo which received int'l attention (ESPN.com, 10/26).
The official Russia 2018 World Cup matchball has been leaked online. The design is a "stunning throwback to the classic Adidas Telstar ball" of the '60s and '70s. Footy Headlines released the images on Wednesday and it "certainly whetted the appetite for next summer's showpiece" (THE SUN, 10/26).
