Italian Football Federation (FIGC) President Carlo Tavecchio said that Italy's past record "should be taken into consideration during World Cup qualifying and it was wrong that teams" such as the four-time world champion "should risk missing out on the tournament." With Italy facing the prospect of a playoff to reach the World Cup, Tavecchio told local media it would "go against history" if the nation did not make it to Russia and he had spoken to FIFA President Gianni Infantino about "reviewing the qualifying system" (REUTERS, 9/4).
FIFA is "poised to bring in changes to its ranking system" once the qualification matches for next year's World Cup are completed "after complaints that some countries are exploiting a loophole." The ranking system reportedly "works against countries" that play a large number of friendly internationals. It "rewards those who play hardly any matches out of competition." It "remains unclear" whether these changes will affect the ranking system used to decide the seeds for the draw for the 2018 World Cup, which takes place in Moscow on Dec. 1 (LONDON TIMES, 9/4).
CONCACAF General Secretary Philippe Moggio said that the association "wants three automatic places at the 2026 World Cup" if the North American bid wins the hosting rights. He also said that the Gold Cup "may be expanded to 16 teams in future editions" as well as potentially being hosted outside the U.S. (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 9/5).
Iranian authorities blamed a "technical glitch" after female football fans were "given hope that they could watch the men's national team." It "seemed the ban on women attending men's football matches had been lifted on Saturday" when an option for women's tickets for a World Cup qualifier against Syria appeared online. A number of women bought tickets, "expressing their surprise and joy." But the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran later said that the tickets were sold "by mistake" (BBC, 9/4).
FOOTBALL BRIEFS
The FIGC is said to be "considering bringing the transfer deadline forward," with the window closing before Serie A starts. The window closed on Thursday, but "many within the game have lamented that players can still be bought and sold despite the season being underway" (FOOTBALL ITALIA, 9/5).
A "first ever national telephone helpline" has been launched for English football referees who have been abused or assaulted to receive support and advice. Charity Ref Support UK set up the service, which will be "manned by experienced referees, including some former Premier League officials" (London TELEGRAPH, 9/5).
Danish company Veo launched a video recording system that can "film games without using a camera operator and deliver an edited match back to clubs and coaches within 24 hours" (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 9/5).
Scottish youth football coaches "will need background checks to be completed before they can work with children," the Scottish Youth FA told MSPs. The SYFA "has begun phasing in changes to its system of disclosure clearance" (BBC, 9/5).
FIFA named the members of a task force created to "address the ongoing issues affecting the Sierra Leone FA." The task force will be chaired by Confederation of African Football exec committee member Musa Bility. Other members include Drucil Taylor (SLFA), Veron Mosengo-Omba (FIFA) and Solomon Mudege (FIFA) (BBC, 9/4).
The Rwanda FA (FERWAFA) postponed presidential elections originally scheduled for Sunday following a request from FIFA. In a letter sent to FERWAFA on Friday, FIFA requested FERWAFA put on hold the elections "to allow amendments to be incorporated into the electoral code" (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 9/5).
