December 16 – Moroccan champions Raja Casablanca have struck a mighty blow for the north African hosts by reaching Wednesday’s semifinal of the Club World Cup with another dramatic victory, this time 2-1 over Concacaf’s Monterrey of Mexico.
Can politics (though I hesitate to use the word) ‘succeed’ where football has failed?
I raise the question in the context of a referendum on independence that the President of Catalonia, the region around Barcelona, seems keen to hold in November 2014, less than two months after a similar vote in Scotland.
For the moment, it is far from sure this Catalonian referendum will even take place, or be seen as legally binding,
By Paul Nicholson
December 16 – US clubs have had their qualification process for their four Champions League spots changed following a request by US Soccer to CONCACAF. The region’s top club competition has to date been dominated by Mexican clubs who have won every edition.
December 13 – Valencia, struggling with €300 million of debt, has run into further trouble with Bankia, who holds most of the debt, saying there will no refinancing available for the club.
December 13 – Zenit St Petersburg have admitted their Champions League fixture against Austria Vienna this week was almost called off because of their fans. The Macedonian referee had to stop play for several minutes in the first half of Zenit’s 4-1 defeat when a number of flares were thrown from the visiting Russian supporters.
By Alexander Krassimirov
December 13 – Bulgarian club Levski Sofia has put the reconstruction of its Georgi Asparuhov stadium on hold which new money is sought to complete the build.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 13 – Wales could be a surprise bidder for the 2026 World Cup in partnership with England and/or other British federations. Cardiff has already been selected to host next year’s UEFA Super Cup, only the second time it has not been staged in Monaco, and Wales First Minister Carwyn Jones said his country was keen to use the opportunity to further its credentials.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 13 – UEFA wants football’s lawmakers to scrap the so-called “triple punishment” rule that many in the game feel is too draconian.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 13 – UEFA have responded to the latest wave of match-fixing by drawing up an 11-point plan which they hope will be applied by all 54 member federations. The draft plan, which calls on the membership to agree to the same sanctions on a consistent basis, will be put before the UEFA Congress in Kazakhstan next March for approval.
By Paul Nicholson
December 13 – English Championship club Queens Park Rangers have announced plans to move to a new 40,000 seater stadium as part of the £10 billion regeneration of the Old Oak area in West London.
December 12 – FIFA has widened its Live Your Goals initiative in women’s football and is inviting member associations to submit applications. Submissions should be made by 25 February and should detail the women’s football development initiative the federation wants to implement.
December 12 – With Barcelona considering their options on whether to revamp the Nou Camp or move to a new site and build on land owned by the University of Barcelona, the club has landed US IT company Intel as a new sponsor.
December 12 – Scottish champions Celtic will find out on Friday what sanction they will face over outlawed banners displayed by fans during last month’s Champions League clash with AC Milan.
December 12 – The culmination of the Champions League group phase was marked by an ugly outbreak of fan violence in Milan where three Ajax supporters were stabbed prior to their decisive fixture with AC Milan. The fans were apparently attacked in three separate incidents close to the San Siro stadium with one of them in a “serious” condition after being stabbed in the stomach.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 12 – The acrimonius dispute over the name of English Premier League club Hull City has been further fuelled by a formal application to the Football Association to call the club Hull Tigers from next season.