Isabelle Westbury is a freelance journalist who writes for the SII. Her focus is on politics and sport, especially cricket. She has written for a number of publications including The Guardian, The Times, The Independent, The Daily Mail and The Sun, and broadcasts on cricket for the BBC. She has an undergraduate degree from Oxford University, where she was President of the Oxford Union, as well as a postgraduate degree in law. She is also Middlesex CCC women’s cricket captain.
All posts by Isabelle Westbury
• Suspension for jockey: The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) imposed a provisional suspension from 21 October on South African rider Jonathan Clarke, whose horse Felix Van De Mispelaere tested positive for minoxidil. Minoxidil is a vasodilator (causes blood vessels to dilate) prohibited under the FEI Equine Prohibited List. •...
The President of the German Football Association (DFB), Wolfgang Niersbach, has once again denied allegations that the committee behind the bid to host the 2006 World Cup had set up a slush fund to pay bribes to FIFA officials. According to the AFP, Niersbach claimed that a reported €6.7...
Anti-corruption officials in Spain are reportedly investigating allegations that a linesman has been put under pressure to favour Real Madrid in an upcoming match with Barcelona. The linesman, who remains anonymous, made a formal complaint through his lawyer to the anti-corruption prosecutor in Barcelona. The linesman alleges that the...
• Darts champion cocaine ban: Former world darts champion, Richie Burnett, has been banned from all sports for 18 months after testing positive for cocaine. UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) confirmed that the Welshman, who won the BDO World Championships in 1995, tested positive for a metabolite of cocaine following in...
The investigatory chamber of FIFA’s Ethics Committee has confirmed that investigatory proceedings have been passed against FIFA Vice-President Ángel María Villar Llona and former Executive Committee member Franz Beckenbauer. The statement follows the approval by the Executive Committee of new wording of Article 36 of the FIFA Code of Ethics....
The date for the preliminary hearing of 104 people facing match-fixing charges in Italy has been set for 18 February 2016. According to the Italian newspaper La Republica, Antonio Conte, the current head coach of the Italian national football team, is amongst those charged. The hearing will be conducted...
At an extraordinary session of the FIFA Executive Committee, it was decided that world football’s governing body will hold the election for its next President on 26 February 2016. The announcement means that Presidential hopeful Michel Platini, who, as reported by the Sports Integrity Initiative was suspended for 90...
The Australian and New Zealand Sports Law Association (ANZSLA) held its 25th Annual Conference last week, with ‘The Gold Standard: the best in Sports Law’ as its theme. While the gold standard were the words on the programme, the recurring message was a variation on a theme: change is required. With...
The Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) has opened a disciplinary hearing following allegations of match-fixing and illegal betting in a number of StarCraft II matches earlier this year. StarCraft II is a military sci-fi video game which is played professionally around the world, and is extremely popular in South Korea....
• 2006 FIFA World Cup corruption denial: The President of the German Football Association (DFB), Wolfgang Niersbach, issued a statement on Saturday denying that the 2006 FIFA World Cup had been ‘bought’. On Friday, German newspaper Der Spiegel published an article claiming that it had information that suggested that...
Today, 16 October 2015, the Kuwait Football Association (KFA) has been suspended with immediate effect. The suspension follows the decision of the FIFA Executive Committee during its meeting on 24 and 25 September to give until 15 October 2015 for changes to be made to the sports law of Kuwait. The...
The FA supports the statement issued by UEFA on Thursday 15 October concerning the ethics case against Michel Platini. This statement expressed respect for the significant work performed by Mr Platini at UEFA, requested that he be afforded due process in contesting the charges, and encouraged the relevant bodies...
The All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) has said in a statement that it is ‘extremely saddened and shocked to hear’ that Nepali police have arrested five former and current international Nepali footballers. The ANFA named the five as being under investigation for match-fixing allegations, and include current national team...
• Sandor Earl (pictured) is considering whether he should appeal against a four-year ban imposed by Australia’s National Rugby League. “Yes, Sandor is looking at his options”, the former Canberra Raider’s lawyer, Tim Unsworth, told The Sports Integrity Initiative. • The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has provisionally suspended Fania Sivanbayeva from...
• Prince Ali bin Al Hussein declares FIFA candidature: Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan has formally declared his candidature to become the next President of FIFA. Elections take place on 26 February 2016. • Spain wants Villar statement on FIFA allegations: Miguel Cardenal, the President of Spain’s...
