By Andrew Warshaw
July 16 – Just when Asian football is striving to improve its image and develop the game, Australian coach Holger Osieck (pictured) has attacked Asian clubs for failing to release a number of his players for the East Asian Cup, which starts on Saturday in Seoul.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 16 – Al Jazeera’s increasing influence as a major player in televised sport has been underlined by the announcement that the Qatar-based broadcaster has bought exclusive rights to screen England’s Premier League in the Middle East and North Africa for three years starting with the coming season.
July 16 – Chelsea FC partners Sauber Motorsport AG of Zurich, Switzerland, has landed a substantial commercial deal that will catapult the firm, and its partners, into a new era in Formula One.
July 15 – Nigerian women footballers at the FCT (Federal Capital Territory) Queens football club are being forced into begging and even prostitution to survive following the failure to pay their wages.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 15 – Mohamed Al Fayed, one of the most colourful figures in English football, has ended his 16-year stint as boss of Fulham by selling the iconic west London club to Shahid Khan (pictured on left of Fayed), owner of NFL side Jacksonville Jaguars in the United States.
July 15 – France are celebrating their first ever under-20 World Cup title after beating Uruguay 4-1 on penalties following a goalless draw in the final in Istanbul. But Iraq’s fairytale tournament provided just as big a talking point.
By Mark Baber
July 15 – The Oman Football Association (OFA) has announced a strategic partnership with the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), building on the success of recent collaborations.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 15 – Having overcome a series of operational concerns during the recent Confederations Cup, Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Maracana stadium is now embroiled in another controversy – a ban on shirtless and standing fans.
July 15 – The European Professional Football Leagues association (EPFL), which represents 744 clubs in 29 countries, is reinforcing its relationship with the Council of Europe in the fight against fan violence.
The world has gone totally mad, hasn’t it? Ever since the “US citizen-without-a-passport”, Edward Snowden, went public and gradually released his material about global spying, institutionalized by US and UK spooks at the NSA and GCHQ, a storm of aggression has hit him and the US alike.
Meanwhile, in a parallel universe (and somewhat ridiculous to compare with issues of real concern), a handful of people continue digging and investigating for a very handsome fee –
By Tom Parsons
July 12 – Manchester City have announced plans to expand the capacity of their Etihad Stadium up to 60,000 from its current 47,805 capacity. If the plans are approved, the home of the Citizens will be the third largest in the Premier League – behind Arsenal and biggest rivals Manchester United.
July 12 – Litex Lovech owner Grisha Ganchev has opened the way for the possible return of former European European of the Year Hristo Stoichkov to the four-times Bulgarian champions.
By Mark Baber
July 12 – Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville have announced their GG Hospitality company will be launching hotel and café brands with the intention of building a hospitality empire, both UK and overseas, to enable fans to sleep, drink and eat football.
July 12 – The new owner of Greece’s third biggest club, AEK Athens, has pledged to restore its tarnished reputation following bankruptcy and demotion to the third tier of the country’s football league.
By David Owen
July 12 – Last week Buenos Aires won the right to host the 2018 Youth Olympics with a little help from Lionel Messi, who was given a prominent place in a promotional video shown to International Olympic Committee (IOC) members before the decisive vote. Now Istanbul is attempting to harness the power of football to help its bid for the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.