By Mark Baber
August 21 – A fire gutted the upper floors of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) Headquarters, known as the Glass House, in Abuja on Wednesday morning. The cause of the fire is yet to be established, with some suggestions an “electrical fault” may have been to blame.
“It used to be the norm for people in their early thirties to set up a home of their own, but sadly being ‘priced out’ is rapidly becoming the new norm.” David Orr, UK National Housing Federation
You might think it odd that a football business-to-business column would focus on the UK housing market but there is a lot it can tell us about our game. Not because of what we can learn about club incomes,
By David Owen
August 20 – The University of Stirling claims to have made history by appointing the first woman manager in British men’s senior football.
August 20 – Carlo Tavecchio (pictured) may have thought he had escaped censure after becoming the new head of the Italian FA despite his much-publicised racist comments about African footballers but UEFA have taken the unusual step of setting up an inquiry.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 20 – Barcelona have been ordered not to make any more signings after this summer until January, 2016, following a decision by FIFA’s appeal committee to re-impose their double transfer window ban for allegedly hoarding under-age players.
By Mark Baber
August 20 – The All India Football Federation (AIFF) have announced that Jammu and Kashmir will host the Federation Cup in August 2015, whilst the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) announced the names of the international players who will be playing in the new league.
August 20 – FIFA president Sepp Blatter believes international referees are being forced retire too early under the current rules, especially when there is no age restriction for players or coaches.
By Paul Nicholson
August 20 – Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko has turned down a FIFA proposal to reduce the number of stadiums and cities that will host the 2018 World Cup. FIFA president Sepp Blatter met with Russian president Vladimir Putin as well as Mutko in Sochi last weekend and suggested a possible reduction.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 20 – FIFA is to host the first ever conference on ethical sports leadership in conjunction with the Brussels-based World Forum for Ethics in Business.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 20 – Luis Suarez insists he is a reformed character and won’t be biting opposition players ever again. The Uruguayan striker was officially presented to Barcelona’s fans on Tuesday five weeks after his transfer from Liverpool as a result of the terms of his four-month suspension from competitive action being modified by the Court of Arbitration for Sport which ruled, on appeal, that he could at least train and not be suspended from all football-related activities.
By Paul Nicholson
August 20 – With just two weeks to go before the start of the Central American Cup 2014, telecoms group Tigo have stepped up as title sponsors for the championship which is being played in the US for the first time.
The recent reshuffle within the corridors of power at the South American confederation, Conmebol, following the death of its FIFA vice-president Julio Grondona, made for interesting reading. Not so much because of the personnel involved but because of the political structure that was put in place with regard to FIFA representation.
August 19 – English Premier League club Crystal Palace have been fined over how they obtained leaked details of an opponent’s starting line-up ahead of a fixture last season.
By Mark Baber
August 19 – Alhaji Aminu Maigari (pictured) was restored to his position as head of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) on Monday, after having been impeached, resigning and then having FIFA intervene on his behalf.
By Mark Baber
August 19 – A new free Wi-Fi service, introduced for the benefit of fans, sparked fierce protests during PSV Eindhoven’s comprehensive 6-1 win over NAC in the Philips Stadium on Saturday, leading to widespread media coverage as the PSV Rood-Witten ultras unfurled a banner saying ‘F**ck WiFi, support the team’.