Just 12 months ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, FIFA opens an investigation of the entire Russian squad from the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The investigation marks the latest chapter in the ongoing history of Russian doping allegations.

The anti-discrimination group FARE ’remain alarmed’ ahead of the 2018 World Cup in spite of a decrease in racist incidents compared to last season, says a new report detailing racist and far-right incidents in Russian football.

With the publication of a damning report on working conditions at Russian World Cup Stadium construction sites, Human Rights Watch call for more transparency from FIFA about their efforts in securing human rights. This challenges what FIFA reported earlier this week, when issuing an ‘activity report’ on the organisation’s progress in the field.

A total of fourteen people are indicted for racketeering, conspiracy and corruption involving payments worth up to $150m, writes the US justice department while the Swiss authorities have launched an investigation into the allocation of the 2018/2022 World Cups.

Michael Garcia, the investigator behind the report into the 2018/2022 World Cup bidding process has resigned in protest over FIFA’s handling of his report.

The Qatari whistleblower Phaedra Almajid feels betrayed after her testimony on the World Cup 2018/2022 bidding process, despite promises of anonymity, was publicly dismissed as unreliable in a FIFA report. In this interview, she tells about the personal costs of standing up, and repeats her accusations of corruption in the bidding process.

Slave like conditions for migrant workers on Sochi Olympics construction sites led to several deaths, many of which are still not accounted for, says an article published by the website theblacksea.eu. The article warns that, with a law passed in 2013 that suspends important workers’ rights, something similar could be the case for the construction of World Cup venues.

In FIFA, silence is more valued than transparency and fair play, says Andreas Selliaas in this comment looking at FIFA's handling of the Garcia report.