By Jaroslaw Adamowski
September 17 – Legia Warsaw, who were controversially dumped from the Champions League to the Europa League after fielding an ineligible player against Celtic in the qualifying rounds, are pushing forward an expansion programme with plans for a new training ground, despite missing out on the big cash win that comes with Europe’s top club competition.
By David Owen
September 17 – Nottingham in the English Midlands has been named “city of football” by Sport England, the grass-roots funding body. The decision opens the way for the city – home to two Football League clubs, including Nottingham Forest, the former European champions under manager Brian Clough – to receive £1.6 million to endeavour to get more Nottinghamians playing football regularly.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 16 – Canadian star Kaylyn Kyle is the latest player to become involved in the row over using synthetic turf at next year’s women’s World Cup. Kyle is reported to have been signed up by FieldTurf, the company whose product is being employed at a majority of the six stadiums being used for the tournament.
By Paul Nicholson
September 16 – Canover Watson, a member of the FIFA Audit and Compliance Committee, has been “temporarily relieved” of his duties on this committee by chairman Domenico Scala while an investigation takes place following news of his arrest by Cayman Islands police in August.
By Mark Baber
September 16 – Manchester United have announced a new initiative which will see the club partnering with the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA) and supporting a Manchester United Soccer School in Azerbaijan.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 16 – Despite the sceptics assuming he will not stay the course, former FIFA deputy general secretary Jerome Champagne insists he will be standing against Sepp Blatter next year at the organisation’s presidential election.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 16 – Yet another Brazilian club has urged its fans to refrain from racist chanting as the country attempts to impose the legacy of the World Cup by stamping out discrimination.
September 16 – The Scottish Football Association is examining allegations of racism during a Scottish Premier League game last weekend.
September 16 – The owner of Spartak Moscow, Leonid Fedun, said that the newly opened Otkritie Arena cost RUB 14.5 billion (S378 million) to build. But that this is only the start of the project with hotels and an indoor arena to come next.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 15 – The Champions League proper kicks off this week but before a ball has even been kicked the debate over seedings has intensified.
September 15 – For the third consecutive year, several of Asia’s most promising coaches are attending a two-week course at the English FA’s state-of-the-art national football centre, St. George’s Park, until the end of this month as part of its international bursary scheme.
September 15 – Just because he is Sepp Blatter’s number two, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke doesn’t always have to agree with his president, the debate over video replays during matches being the latest case in point.
September 15 – With so few black coaches in European football, UEFA have launched a pioneering programme to bring more minorities into the game and develop equal opportunities.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 15 – As the world awaits the findings of FIFA ethics judge Joachim Eckert into possible corruption surrounding the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, the organisation has become embroiled in an untimely episode – this time concerning gifts offered to senior officials in Brazil.
September 15 -Asian football chief Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa says there will be no rush to agree on an exact date for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.