OGC Nice pay tribute to 85 victims with commemorative shirt
August 11 – Ligue 1 side OGC Nice will open their season on Sunday wearing a special kit to honour the victims of the Nice terror attack last month.
Europe
China’s ORG takes controlling stake in AJ Auxerre for €7m
August 11 – With Chinese money having taken positions in big league Italian and English clubs, France has attracted more Chinese interest with ORG Packaging having bought a controlling 60% stake in AJ Auxerre for €7 million.
Weakened Real Madrid lay down marker with gritty Super Cup win
August 10 – Champions League winners Real Madrid edged Europa League titlists and fellow Spaniards Sevilla 3-2 after extra time in a dramatic Super Cup in Norway.
Ceferin unveils manifesto based on evolving UEFA towards a ‘perfect balance’
By Andrew Warshaw
August 8 – UEFA presidential candidate Aleksander Ceferin has issued his manifesto focussing on the need for Europe’s lesser-known clubs and countries to be given proper opportunities in major competitions.
Berlusconi sells AC Milan to Chinese investors for €740m
August 8 – After 30 years in charge, Silvio Berlusconi has agreed to sell Serie A giant AC Milan to a group of Chinese investors for €740 million, a price that includes about €220 million of debt.
Beitar fans busted as police raid La Familia’s home
August 8 – Nineteen members of La Familia, the rightwing faction of Beitar Jerusalem, whose fans are regarded as the most hostile in Israel, have been charged with attempted murder, aggravated sabotage, racist offenses and illegal possession of weapons.
Turkish FA fires 94 more as Gulen links are purged from governing body
August 5 – Two days after the mass resignations of Turkey’s leading football executives, ostensibly to assist the government investigation into US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen who the authorities accuse of being behind the coup that left more than 200 people dead, almost 100 other staff, many of them referees, have now been suspended, boosting the autocratic regime of president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Bale, Greizmann and Ronaldo make final three for UEFA Best Player vote
August 5 – UEFA have unveiled their final three nominations for the Gareth Bale, Antoine Griezmann and Cristiano Ronaldo – all three play for Madrid clubs and had outstanding European Championship performances for their countries this summer.
‘Sack race’ data shows clubs should not jump into firing manager mid-season
August 4 – With the European season set to start over the next three weeks across the Big Five markets, a raft of new managers will be looking to bring early success to their new clubs and avoid the mid-season managerial change threat.
Martinez quits England to take on Belgium national team challenge
August 4 – He’s managed several Belgian internationals at club level and now he’s in charge of the entire national team.
Van Praag outlines his UEFA platform built on unification and urgent action
By Andrew Warshaw
August 3 – UEFA presidential candidate Michael van Praag insists he is the right man to ensure unity in European football and offset what he describes as the “forces that want to drive us apart.”
All you need is love. But Lennon doesn’t find any at UEFA
August 3 – Hibernian manager Neil Lennon has been slapped with a five-match European touchline ban by UEFA after he was sent to the stands in the club’s recent Europa League loss to Brondby.
CAS rules in favour of Plaku; FIFPro says he is tip of abuse ice-berg
August 2 – He claimed he was forced to work 14 hours a day, often with no meal breaks, fined thousands of Euros if he was late for training by even 30 seconds and spend hours on end standing in the city centre selling newspapers.
Turkish turmoil as FA board resigns and Gulen investigations deepen
August 1 – The failed military coup in Turkey has spilled over into football with the entire governing board of the Turkish FA resigning.
Leeds United become latest Championship target for China’s big money players
By Paul Nicholson
July 29 – Chinese investors are reportedly circling around a third English Championship club. Leeds United, like Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers that are both under new Chinese ownership, are considered a ‘sleeping giant’ waiting to return to their glory years. Chinese money could provide the boost they need to achieve this.