January 23 – Reports of a Malaysian gambling syndicate approaching I-League club Munbai FC have prompted the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to move towards setting up an anti-corruption unit.
By David Owen
January 23 – Paris Saint-Germain’s meteoric, Qatar-fuelled surge to the top table of European football is highlighted today by publication of the 2012-13 Deloitte Football Money League. The table, a simple ranking of the world’s top 20 clubs by revenue, has PSG at number five, below only the two Spanish giants, European champions Bayern Munich and Manchester United – and above Manchester City, the other club most palpably boosted by Gulf funding,
By Ben Nicholson
January 22 – As hosts South Africa exit the African Nations Championship (Chan) amid recriminations and criticism that have even drawn South African president Jacob Zuma (pictured) into the debate, the local organisers have announced prize money of R34 million (3.1 million) for the tournament.
January 22 – Russian stadium preparations for the 2018 World Cup are progressing with the design for the 45,000-seat stadium in Nizhny Novgorod said to be almost complete. So far only two of Russia’s venues for 2018 are ready, though neither have yet staged an official football match.
January 22 – Former Argentine World Cup star Osvaldo Ardiles says he is “fine and doing well” after being admitted to hospital following a car crash in the Falkland Islands. Ardiles, 61, became a legend not only in his country after Argentina’s 1978 World Cup triumph but also at Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur where is regarded as one of the all-time greats, winning both the FA Cup and Uefa Cup.
January 22 – EA Sports has announced a continuation of its partnership with the referees’ association for professional football in England, though no figure has been announced for the sponsorship.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
January 22 – STES, the marketing arm of the Czech football association FACR, has been negotiating the sale of broadcasting rights for Gambrinus liga. Local company Pragosport and international media rights agency MP & Silva agency are said to be the leading contenders in the race to acquire the broadcasting rights for the top tier of the Czech professional football league.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 22 – As the Chinese celebrate their New Year, the year of the horse, so the football federation welcomes a new president who faces a “colossal” task and a race against time to repair the sport’s corruption-tainted image off the pitch and a lack of progress on it.
FIFA Presidential elections are different. So it was probably par for the course that the first candidate out of the traps – and this more than 16 months before any vote – should at once cast doubt on his candidacy by refusing to make clear whether he would stay in the race if the incumbent President decides to run. Indeed, he admitted he did not think he could beat Joseph Blatter, who will mark 16 years in the post at this summer’s FIFA World Cup in Brazil,
By Andrew Warshaw
January 22 – FIFA has warned Brazil’s World Cup organisers that the host city of Curitiba could be thrown out unless work on its stadium is speeded up – and quickly. In the most serious crisis to date over Curitiba preparations for the tournament, FIFA has set a February 18 ultimatum for the stadium, which is hosting four group games, to prove it can meet requirements.
January 22 – Despite the bitter political tensions between the two neighbours, North Korea has agreed to send men’s and women’s football teams to South Korea for this year’s Asian Games in Incheon.
By Alexander Krassmirov
January 21 – Serbian former head coach of Levski Sofia Slavisa Jokanovic has threatened to sue the Bulgarian club for unpaid wages. Jokanovic took over the team in July 2013, but remained at the helm just three months before being sacked last October because of poor results.
By Paul Nicholson
January 21 – The percentage of club-trained players making it into first team squads in Europe has hit an all-time low, according to data from the CIES Football Observatory’s sixth annual Demographic Study.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 21 – Some might call it sour grapes, others that it is a totally justified argument. But Franck Ribery’s angry reaction at being overlooked at last week’s Ballon d’Or award has certainly stirred up debate.
By Paul Nicholson
January 21 – Barcelona have scrapped plans of a move to a new-build stadium at Avenida Diagonal in favour of a €600 million redevelopment of their iconic Nou Camp stadium. The new plan will now be put by the club’s directors to the vote of Barca’s 160,000 members in April.