Paul Nicholson, Author at Inside World Football - Page 1675 of 1891

David Owen: Liverpool and Balotelli: Why Reds set for a summer transfer profit despite £100m+ spree

Liverpool posted the biggest pre-tax loss in the Premier League in 2012-13. The previous year only Manchester City posted a bigger one. In such circumstances, you might have expected the Anfield club to be squirrelling away at least some of its Luis Suárez windfall; to be showing a modicum of restraint in this summer’s transfer market in the interests of its bottom-line. All the more so with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) provisions hovering in the background.

Africa

Ghana report uncovers series of broken promises and too many fans on Brazil trip

Ghana flag

August 22 – Ghana’s investigation into their national team’s poor performance at the World Cup has uncovered discrepancies in the numbers of the supporter group that was officially sent to Brazil. Instead of the expected 612 fans, which had official seats on chartered flights, 696 found their way across.

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Registrations open for World Football Forum in Moscow, November 13

Russian kit

22 August – With Russia rapidly putting in place preparations to host the world’s football community in 2018 for the FIFA World Cup, early movers can get a head start in the market at the World Football Forum that will be held at Ritz-Carlton in Moscow, November 13.

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Mutko repeats that there is no shift in 2018 World Cup plan

Russian construction

August 22 – Speaking in Saransk, Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko again repeated that there would be no change to the number of cities hosting the 2018 World Cup and that it would remain as 11, with a further 20 cities hosting national teams.

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Bimbo bakes new 5-year $11m deal with Philadelphia Union

Philadelphia Union and Bimbo

August 22 – MLS’ Philadelphia Union has renewed their deal with kit sponsor Bimbo Bakeries. The Bimbo logo will continue to appear on the front of their official shirts for the next five years, in a deal worth $11 million.

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Botev stadium build to restart after new owners takes control

botev new stad

By Alexander Krassimirov
August 22 – The construction of Botev Plovdiv’s Hristo Botev stadium will restart next week after the club’s owner, Tsvetan Vasilev, decided to transfer his shares to his business partner Veselin Bushev.

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No place like home for Sky Blues

Ricoh arena

By David Owen
August 21 – Coventry City, the English third-tier club, will resume playing their home games at home next month, after more than a season in residence at Northampton Town’s Sixfields Stadium, nearly 50km away.

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Is posting goal videos online illegal? Premier League prepares for battle

video

By Mark Baber
August 22 – Last week the Premier League told BBC Newsbeat that they were going to clamp down on the sharing of goal videos online, claiming the tweeting of copyrighted material is illegal. However, experts on copyright law have challenged that assertion, pointing to a new provision in copyright law, due to take effect in October, which will provide a right under certain circumstances to quote from copyrighted materials.

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Melbourne Knights take action to defend their Croatian identity

Melbourne Knights

By Mark Baber
August 21 – Melbourne Knights have referred the Australian Football Federation’s (FFA) National Club Identity Policy to the Australian Human Rights commission after they were prevented from displaying three of their four kit sponsors for an FFA Cup match against Olympic FC.

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Palestine rise up FIFA rankings despite Gazan player restrictions

Palestinian team

August 21 – Despite the ongoing military crisis in Gaza, Palestinian football has managed to achieve its highest ever world ranking by surging to 85th.

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Arsenal complain to UEFA after bottle thrown at CL qualifier

Besiktas vs Arsenal

August 21 – Arsenal have lodged a complaint with UEFA after a bottle was thrown at manager Arsène Wenger at the end of Tuesday’s tension-filled Champions League 0-0 playoff first-leg draw against Besiktas.

Africa

CAF set date for Rwanda’s AFCON appeal

Congo vs Rwanda

August 21 – Rwanda’s appeal against being thrown out of the African Cup of Nations over a bizarre case of player identity will take place next Wednesday, August 27, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed.

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Mr Manchester ‘United’ loses Bulgarian court battle over name change

Mr Manchester United

By Alexander Krassimirov
August 21 – A Manchester United fan from Bulgaria has tattooed the club crest on his forehead in protest against the court system in the country.

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Legia fury unabated as admin staff sacked and fans resort to threats

Legia Warsaw fans

By Andrew Warshaw
August 21 – Despite pleading their innocence and accusing UEFA of foul play, Legia Warsaw have dismissed the administrator considered responsible for the clerical error led to the Polish club being thrown out of the Champions League.

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Atlanta fans reserve 14,000 season tickets: first match…2017

Arthur Blank

By Ben Nicholson
August 21 – MLS’ Atlanta expansion team has received more than 14,000 season ticket applications, three years in advance. The team is yet to possess a squad, manager, even a name, and won’t play a game until 2017. However, this has not prevented the local community showing their excitement.