By Andrew Warshaw
June 29 – Dominico Scala, independent chairman of FIFA’s audit and compliance committee, has said that the time for playing the politics of the media is over, as FIFA prioritises its reform agenda and prepares for a change of leadership.
By Samindra Kunti
June 29 – Marco Polo Del Nero’s real estate assets have grown 175% since joining the Confederation of Brazilian Football (CBF) in 2012 as vice-president, according to Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo. It has increased speculation and suspicion around Del Nero, the current CBF president, about management of the federation and its finances.
June 29 – News of the FIFA seven arrested in dawn raids at their Zurich hotels on May 28 has been sparse. But last Friday a Swiss court reported that it had turned down an application for bail from one of the arrested, believed to be Uruguayan Eugenio Figueredo, as it said he posed a “risk of flight”.
By Samindra Kunti
June 26 – Charlton Athletic owner Roland Duchatelet has sold leading Belgian club Standard Liege to Italian Bruno Venanzi for an estimated €30 million. Duchatelet insists that this does not signal a retreat from football.
By Mark Baber
June 26 – Talks between the A-League and Professional Players Australia (PFA) have broken down with the Football Federation Australia (FFA) bosses accusing players of putting the future of the League in jeopardy and the PFA considering legal and industrial action.
By Mark Baber
June 26 – The lawyer for Eduardo Li, president of Costa Rica’s Football Federation and a CONCACAF and FIFA executive committee member, has described the case against his client as a “legal absurdity” saying there is no evidence his client took bribes or participated in a criminal enterprise. Li was picked up in the Swiss police swoop on FIFA executives prior to the congress in Zurich last month.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
June 26 – Poland’s leading chemical company Grupa Azoty is planning to become the majority shareholder in top tier club Pogon Szczecin. The company is currently the club’s main sponsor and is in negotiation with the municipal authorities of Szczecin to buy the club.
By Andrew Warshaw
June 26 – Where will FIFA president Sepp Blatter make his first overseas public appearance since he announced he is stepping down in the wake of the corruption scandal that has enveloped his organisation?
By Paul Nicholson
June 26 – The Women’s World Cup quarter finals kick off tonight in Canada with European heavyweights Germany and France facing each other in the first match in Montreal before China facing the US in Ottawa. The winners will meet each other on June 30 in the semi-final in Montreal.
June 26 – The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) and the Organization of American States (OAS) have teamed up to launch a joint Centre of Excellence for Major Sporting Events and Sustainable Development.
By Alexander Krassimirov
June 26 – The on-off ownership of Bulgaria’s Levski Sofia has been resolved with Todor Batkov announcing that he is stepping down after 17 years at the helm. At an emotional press conference the lawyer said that he will transfer his shares to the Chairman of the Board of the club, Ivo Tonev, and two other businessmen, Alexander Angelov and Nikolai Ivanov.
By Samindra Kunti
June 26 – The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the alliance of free-to-air European broadcasters, has struck an agreement with UEFA for the exclusive broadcast rights for EURO2016 across 26 European territories.
By Mark Baber
June 25 – In the wake of tiny island territory Guam (population 165,124) defeating India (population 1.252 billion) in a World Cup qualifier on June 16, attention has turned to the issue of people of Indian origin (PIOs) who may offer salvation for the country’s national team. However, the Indian government opposes their inclusion in the national team, setting up a potentially dangerous confrontation with FIFA.
By Paul Nicholson
June 25 – 153-year old Notts County, the world’s oldest professional club, has landed the biggest sponsorship deal in the club’s history with betting and gaming giant Ladbrokes.
By Alexander Krassimirov
June 25 – Humiliated by their forced relegation to Bulgaria’s amateur leagues, the country’s tax collectors have heaped further misery on the team by announcing an auction of the club’s brand assets – it’s name, logo and trademarks.