By David Owen
October 30 – The construction and renovation of the 10 football stadia to be used for Euro 2016 is generating a total of 20,000 jobs in the building and services sector, according to Patrick Kanner, the French Sports Minister.
October 30 – Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko will give the welcome address to World Football Forum gathering in Moscow, November 13. Organiser have now released their programme for the event which ends with a VIP reception at the Inter-Continental Hotel.
October 30 – English second-tier club Bolton Wanderers are playing down rumours of a potential takeover by a Thai consortium which would represent the latest foreign incursion into English football.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 30 – FIFA have broken their silence over the artificial turf controversy that threatens to disrupt next year’s Womens World Cup in Canada, insisting the pitches will be of the highest standard and rejecting any sense of discrimination against female players.
October 30 – On the pitch Chelsea were denied a win in the Premier League against Manchester United last weekend by a last gasp equalizer by Robin van Persie. Off the pitch commercial results are far from evenly matched with Man Utd this week adding two new sponsors, while Chelsea have put faith in new signing Christian Purslow to lead the line in a bid to boost their global commercial activity.
October 30 – Real Madrid have struck another deal with affluent Gulf investors as they bid maintain their status as the world’s richest club.
By Mark Baber
October 30 – Santos have announced the signing of a major sponsorship deal with Chinese technology firm Huawei through to the end of 2014, with the option of an extension.
In the second to last round of the 2014 CSL season, Beijing Guoan FC went to Guangzhou to play defending champions Evergrande, Before the match, Beijing had 63 points, Guangzhou 69 points. A draw would secure the fourth consecutive title for Guangzhou.
October 29 – The official launch of the 2018 FIFA World Cup logo took place last night in Russia at a televised ceremony that enlisted the help of an international space station crew and saw the emblem projected on to the historic Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.
October 29 – A senior FIFA figure has questioned Brazil’s reasons for staging this year’s World Cup, suggesting legacy and social change was a less important factor than trying to win a sixth world crown.
By Paul Nicholson
October 29 – When the Qatari national U19 team stepped off their plane to a red carpet and heroes’ welcome it marked a new level of football achievement for the Gulf state that is reinventing itself through sport. It also marked another step on the development path set by the Aspire Academy.
October 29 – UEFA has reduced on appeal CSKA Moscow’s stadium ban imposed for serious fan trouble at their Champions League match at Roma – but any further outbreaks over the next five years and UEFA will almost certainly come down even harder on the club.
What defines a nation’s football status? Is it the senior-international trophies it has historically won? The depth of its leagues? Its grassroots participation? The quality of its top division, perhaps? Or is it the quality of its national stadium?
By Mark Baber
October 28 – Secretary General of FIFA, Jerome Valcke, has written to Amaju Pinnick, one of the two men claiming to be head of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), to say that unless a court case seeking to annul the disputed September 30 NFF elections is withdrawn Nigeria will be suspended.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 29 – Preparations for the Club World Cup in Morocco in December are continuing “as planned” even though the country has asked to be replaced as host for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) the following month due to fears over the spread of the Ebola epidemic.