FIFA

The world governing body on Friday revealed that operational funding for this year and 2019 will be paid to 211 national governing bodies worldwide.

A second instalment of operational costs for 2020 was due to be handed out in July, but FIFA will make an early payment "to help safeguard football across all member associations".

Each member association will receive $500,000, along with any other remaining funds they were due to receive. 

COVID-19 is starting to cause widespread disruption to sport across Europe, particularly in Italy, Germany, France and Spain.

Italy is the most-affected European nation, with 9,172 cases of infection reported as of Tuesday, and that has led to all sporting activities being postponed until April 3.

In Spain, fans have been prohibited from attending games at all levels over the next two matchdays, though that could change after the Spanish Footballers' Association (AFE) requested all action be postponed instead.

New Zealand led 1-nil for much of the match after Olivia Chance scored late in the first half with Belgium scoring the equaliser with only minutes remaining.

The Football Ferns were reduced to ten players midway through the second half after defender Claudia Bunge was sent off after receiving a second yellow card.

New Zealand won the shoot-out 7-6 and will now play either Portugal or Italy in the semi-finals.

The 87-year-old Uruguayan headed his nation's football association for nine years from 1997, doubling up as a CONMEBOL vice-president for part of that spell, a post he held for two decades until 2013.

It was at that point he replaced Nicolas Leoz as president of the South American confederation, but he was arrested two years later.

Figueredo was accused of accepting millions of dollars in bribes relating to "awarding contracts to companies for the media and marketing rights to CONMEBOL competitions" between 2004 and 2015, FIFA said.

World football's governing body said there was insufficient time to consider the proposed expansion of the tournament due to logistical concerns.

A plan backed by president Gianni Infantino had been put forward that would have seen some of Qatar's Gulf neighbours stage some of the extra matches, having conceded it would be "difficult" to host all such games in Qatar alone.

However, in a statement released on Wednesday, FIFA confirmed it would need more time to consider all possible requirements of an expanded tournament, with a deadline on the decision set for next month.

It is Krishna's second selection in a FIFA Team of the Week this season after first making the cut in late January.

The 31-year-old Fijian earned his second citation after a hat-trick in the Phoenix's 3-2 A-League home win over Melbourne City last Sunday.

Krishna was named in a forward line comprising Mbappé, who has led Paris St Germain to the French Ligue 1 title, and Real Madrid's French international striker Karim Benzema.

Krishna's January Team of the Week colleagues included Barcelona's Luis Suarez, Manchester United's David De Gea and Liverpool's Fabinho.

This is for offering and accepting gifts as well as conflict of interest, world soccer governing body FIFA said on Friday.

Along with the ban, which comes into immediate effect, former FIFA vice president Chung was also fined 100,000 Swiss francs (K337,000).

“The adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee has found David Chung ... guilty of having offered and accepted gifts, as well as having acted under a conflict of interest, in violation of the FIFA Code of Ethics," FIFA said in a statement.

Ten goals were shortlisted for the award, with many pundits predicting a win for Gareth Bale's acrobatic volley in the Champions League final for Real Madrid against Liverpool.

But the Egyptian star's effort, which saw him spin past two Everton players before curling a left-foot shot into the far corner, gained 38 per cent of the more than 500,000 votes cast.

The award, which is named after Hungary and Real Madrid great Ferenc Puskas, was the first announced at the Best FIFA Football Awards in London. Salah, 26, has also been shortlisted for men's player of the year.

The executive, David Chung, was the president of the Oceania Football Confederation, whose 14 members wield little power competitively or politically in FIFA. But Chung, of Papua New Guinea, had outsize influence as the most senior of FIFA’s eight vice presidents.

Chung cited personal reasons for his decision, but the announcement came as he found himself under mounting pressure to step down after an audit into a multimillion-dollar project to build a new headquarters for the O.F.C.

The 33-year-old was given a year-long suspension earlier this month after he tested positive for cocaine following a World Cup qualifier in October.

FIFA partially upheld his appeal against the sanction after the Appeal Committee of world football's governing body heard his case. His ban has been reduced to six months, meaning he will become eligible to play again in May next year.