Qatar target AFC seat on FIFA exco
By Andrew Warshaw
February 10 – Qatar’s 2022 World Cup chief organiser Hassan al-Thawadi, who failed in 2013 to win a seat on FIFA’s executive committee, has decided not to stand again.
Author: Paul Nicholson
Final four pass inspection. Let the presidential race begin…again
February 10 – Sepp Blatter and the three candidates vying to dethrone him have been successfully vetted, making them eligible to officially battle for the presidency of FIFA on May 29.
Mutko poised to impose foreign player quotas on Russian clubs
February 10 – Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko has said that he will be submitting a bill on quotas of foreign players this week. The draft law will outline eligibility criteria for players which will include age, proof of standard of the player and terms of their employment and length of stay in Russia.
Russian Roublette: clubs face FFP meltdown
By Paul Nicholson
February 10 – Russian clubs hoping to get a break in the financial fair play rules because the ruble has effectively halved in value over the past five months have been told by UEFA there will be no concessions in the regulations.
Death toll mounts as Egyptian government suspends Premier League
By Mark Baber
February 9 – Egypt’s government has ordered the suspension of all Egyptian Premier League matches in the country after at least 22 fans were killed and many more injured outside the Air Defence stadium on Sunday, prior to the game between Cairo clubs Zamalek and ENPPI. Some reports now put the death toll at over 40.
Romanian club crisis deepens as Petrolul Ploiesti is sixth club to go bust
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
February 9 – Petrolul Ploiesti has filed for insolvency as the Romanian club’s financial base has become unstable following the arrest of its owners and management. The side is representative of a wider trend plaguing Romania’s football, with five other major clubs filing for insolvency earlier.
Ghost of ISL scandal returns to bite FIFA, as reform emails leaked
By Andrew Warshaw
February 9 – FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s chief legal adviser faces allegations of watering down a key report into reform recommendations in order to spare Blatter from potentially damaging criticism.
Arsenal, Aspire, AC Milan and Sao Paulo top Al Kass Cup groups
February 9 – Qatar’s senior team may have disappointed at the recently completed Asian Cup in Australia after their Gulf Cup win, but their U17 players are making a global imprint at the fourth Al Kass International Cup tournament for clubs, currently being played in Doha, Qatar.
Massimo Cecchini: Antonio Conte – un uomo solo al comando, Conte – a lonely command
Non è bastato il gesto della scorsa settimana – rinunciare allo stage per la Nazionale – per farsi ascoltare dai padroni del calcio italiano. Dopo le decisioni della Lega di Serie A del 6 febbraio, Antonio Conte è sempre di più un uomo solo al comando, dove ormai è doveroso mettere l’accento più sulla parola “solo” che su quella “comando”.
African Nations Cup drama ends in shoot-out on the pitch, and war off it
By Andrew Warshaw
February 9 – Ivory Coast’s first Africa Cup of Nations title since 1992 on Sunday failed to mask a series of controversial events that blighted the tournament on and off the pitch.
West Ham finds new sponsor in “biggest-ever” commercial deal
By David Owen
February 7 – West Ham United, the Premier League football club preparing to move into London’s Olympic Stadium, has agreed a new long-term sponsorship deal with Betway, an online gaming brand. The deal installs Betway as the Hammers’ principal sponsor, with the company logo to appear on the front of the well-known claret and blue team shirts, starting with Sunday’s clash with Manchester United. Betway has also secured naming rights to the Boleyn Ground’s West Stand.
Exclusive: Champagne blames European ‘squeeze’ for cutting him out
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
February 6 – While the three contenders bidding to unseat FIFA president Sepp Blatter fine-tune their tactics, Jerome Champagne, the first to put his name forward more than a year ago, has strengthened his criticism of Europe for deliberately squeezing him out of the race.
Inside Editorial: Cut them some slack – they already have some leeway
The mountain has given birth to three mice. What started out as a solid promise to “dismantle the FIFA monster”, has taken on the characteristics of playground posturing and classroom semantics.
Man Utd dials in Emtel for content deal
February 6 – Manchester United has added Mauritius telecom specialist Emtel as its first official partner in the country.
Gooner Usmanov fronts the cash to cover Capello’s unpaid salary
By Mark Baber
February 6 – The desperate financial situation of the Russian Football Union (RFU), which has been unable to pay national team manager Fabio Capello’s salary, looks set to be resolved in the next two days as billionaire businessman Alisher Usmanov (pictured) has pledged to grant a loan to the federation to cover the arrears.