Scots add third shirt space for sponsor logos
December 29 – Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs have been given the option of an extra ad space to sell on the their shirts for sponsors logos from the start of next season.
Europe
Managers play musical chairs as Mourinho, Guardiola and Ancelotti eye new benches
December 23 – The merry-go-round among Europe’s most sought after coaches has taken another decisive step with Bayern Munich confirming that that Pep Guardiola will be succeeded at the end of the season by Carlo Ancelotti.
Busting the corruption bubble. Has TEAM found the Holy Grail?
By Paul Nicholson
December 23 – What came first, greed-driven sports marketing agencies or avaricious sports administrators who jumped at the opportunity to siphon off cash for rights? The answer is probably that the two were always intertwined, but what football needs to avoid at all costs is another ISL or Traffic Sports situation.
The best XI of 2015: IN – Messi, Suarez, Cazorla, Ozil; OUT – Ronaldo, Bale, Neymar
By Paul Nicholson
December 22 – As FIFA gathers votes from players, coaches and the media for its annual Ballon D’Or awards ceremony to be held January 16 in Zurich, the CIES Football Observatory has come up with its own list of the best performing big five European league players in 2015 and created, on the basis of stats analysis, the best overall team and best U23 team.
Dutch hit Twente with Euro ban and fine over TPO and Doyen’s dirty dealing
By Andrew Warshaw
December 17 – In the starkest example yet of the European crackdown on Third Party Ownership of players, Dutch top-flight club FC Twente have been banned from European competition for three years by their own federation.
FIFpro’s Piat says TPO must be outlawed and players paid
By Andrew Warshaw
December 16 – The French president of the international players union FIFpro says the current transfer system encourages third party ownership which he has described as “a monster”.
Man Utd and Man City top table of players on 2015 international duty
December 15 – Manchester United and Manchester City players played more times for their countries than any other players at clubs in the Big-5 European leagues, according to research from the CIES Football Observatory.
Bosman landmark galvanises FIFpro to drive next step of transfer reform
By Andrew Warshaw in Amsterdam
December 15 – The head of the international players’ union FIFpro says football is facing its “worst ever crisis” because of the imbalance between rich and poor and has urged his members to stick together to safeguard the sport.
UEFA close to crossing the line on GLT, but will keep 5 assistant refs
December 14 – UEFA president Michel Platini may have long been opposed to goal-line technology but his organisation now realises it can no longer resist its implementation.
UEFA cover the presidential bases and call in feds for pre-FIFA election powwow
By Andrew Warshaw
December 11 – UEFA’s top brass have given Michel Platini as much time as possible to try and clear his name to run for FIFA president – but could have a new chief in place themselves at the start of May if he is banned from the game.
France suspend Benzema until verdict is reached in sex tape blackmail case
By Andrew Warshaw
December 11 – One of the most bizarre cases of alleged foul play has led to Real Madrid’s French striker Karim Benzema being suspended by his national team until an investigation into a blackmail case involving a sex tape has been resolved.
Money makes money: Champions League bias perpetuates big leagues and big clubs
By Paul Nicholson
December 10 – Benchmark Sport’s latest report looks at the UEFA Champions league and the spread of representation of nations and clubs. The findings are that the competition has been increasingly – and perhaps worryingly – centralised around the big leagues and the big clubs.
Want a playing career? Then make sure you are born in first three months of the year
By Mark Baber
December 9 – The latest monthly report produced by the CIES looks at the issue of birth date bias finding that “players born in the first months of the year are strongly over-represented” in 30 top divisions in Europe – the exception being England where the bias is towards the period September- December as the age classes are based on September 1 rather than January 1.
Platini waits on CAS ruling with Euros draw looming
By Andrew Warshaw
December 8 – The imminent judgement by the Court of Arbitration for Sport into Michel Platini’s suspension will determine whether or not the UEFA president can take centre stage at Saturday’s Euro 2016 draw in Paris.
Greek players show solidarity with strike over unpaid compensation
December 9 – Greek footballers are to go on strike indefinitely from next week in protest over a compensation deal they claim their employers have failed to meet.