Former head of the Brazilian Football Federation Ricardo Teixeira has resigned from the FIFA Executive Committee, CONEMBOL announced late last night.
The move comes a week after Teixeira stepped down as chief of the Brazilian Federation and head of preparation for the 2014 World Cup. Tensions between Brazil and FIFA have been mounting in recent months as Brazil's legislature has been slow to enact FIFA-friendly reform laws and the construction of new stadiums have been dogged by delays and worker strikes. FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke was particularly pointed in expressing concern over FIFA's preparedness for the World Cup.
Teixeira cited "personal reasons" as the reason for his departure in a brief resignation letter to the other South American federation presidents. Teixeira served as head of Brazilian soccer for 23 years and was investigated for ethics violations in 2001 but was never convicted. Brazil has said they will act quickly to name a successor as FIFA's Executive Committee meets in Zurich next week.
Here are some more stories to kick off your Tuesday.
PREMIER LEAGUE TO REVIEW MEDICAL PROCEDURES
The English Premier League has announced a review of its medical procedures following the on-field collapse of Fabrice Muamba. Chief executive Richard Scudamore said the EPL will evaluate "every aspect of what happened and [see] if there are ways and means of improving. There are no guarantees but we will do whatever we can to improve."
The Premier League went through a similar review after Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech almost lost his life at Reading when a collision fractured his skull. There was widespread criticism of the Premier League for how the situation was handled and the incident oversaw wholesale changes to medical preparedness.
CERCI, BERTOLO BANNED FOR THREE GAMES
Fiorentina midfielder Alessio Cerci and Palermo midfielder Nicolas Bertolo will sit out the next three Serie A games after being sent off for violent conduct in games over the weekend.
Cerci was given his marching orders for kicking Juventus defender Paolo De Ceglie during Fiorentina's 5-0 loss while Bertolo was sent off for head-butting Lecce's Gennaro Delvecchio on Sunday.
CELTIC RULES OUT MOVE TO ENGLAND
Scottish giants Celtic have emphatically dismissed suggestions that they might move to either League One or the Championship following the turmoil of their Old Firm rivals, Glasgow Rangers. Reports out of England had suggested that members inside the club were open to a move into the English pyramid, even if it was in the third tier.
Football League chairman Greg Clarke has called the suggestion "disrespectful" and said such a move would be resisted by both the Scottish and English FAs.
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What do you think of today's stories? Glad Teixeira's reign is over? Is there anything about the Premier League's medical policy you would like to see changed? Would you like to see Celtic move to England?
Share your thoughts below.