Celtic’s Tonev loses appeal against racism ban
December 17 – Celtic’s Bulgarian on-loan winger Aleksandar Tonev has lost his appeal against a seven-match ban for racially abusing an opponent.
Europe
Man Utd’s Herrera denies match-fixing at Zaragoza
December 17 – Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera has vehemently denied being involved in match-fixing after his name was one of those released by Spanish authorities investigating an alleged scandal that took place in La Liga four years ago involving 41 players and officials.
Three former English club giants hit with transfer embargo for breaking FFP
December 16 – Just a couple of weeks before the start of the mad scramble mid-season transfer window, three of English football’s most iconic clubs – Blackburn Rovers, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest – have been slapped with transfer embargoes for the rest of the season for breaching Financial Fair Play rules.
UEFA sanctions Croatia with stand closures after San Siro crowd trouble
December 16 – Croatia have been ordered to close a section of their ground for their next Euro 2016 home qualifier as punishment for racist behaviour and crowd trouble in last month’s fixture against group rivals Italy.
Spanish corruption police chase former Zaragoza stars over €1m cash match fix
By Andrew Warshaw
December 16 – Manchester United and Atletico Madrid have been rocked by the revelation that their respective midfield stars Ander Herrera (pictured) and Gabi are among more than 40 people named in an alleged match-fixing scandal that took place in Spanish football four years ago.
Breitner: Arrogance, aggression, or just the plain truth?
By Denis de Haas and Christian Paschwitz
December 16 – In an interview on German sports channel SPORT1’s Doppelpass Talk programme, former playing legend Paul Breitner who is now an advisor to the Bayern Munich board, said that the success of Bayern has much to do with the incompetence of their opponents. His comments have sparked rage and debate in Germany. Click on the video link to watch the excerpt from Doppelpass Talk.
Champions League into stride with tasty knockout draw
December 15 – Both of last season’s Spanish Champions League finalists have been drawn against German opposition in the first knockout stage of the competition in February.
Swedes say that FIFA should do it ‘their’ way
December 15 – The Swedish football association has waded into the debate over transparency within FIFA by suggesting world football’s governing body adopt the Nordic way of behaving when it comes to openness.
UEFA brings in Seedorf to lead anti-discrimination battle
December 12 – UEFA has appointed Dutch legend Clarence Seedorf as the UEFA Global Ambassador for Diversity and Change. Michel Platini introduced Seedorf at a ceremony in Amsterdam at the Olympic Stadium.
Wisla Krakow, Jagiellonia Bialystok coaches call to expand Ekstraklasa
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
December 12 – The coaches of two of Poland’s leading football sides have called on the Polish Football Federation (PZPN) to reform the Ekstraklasa, the country’s top tier, by expanding it by a further two teams to 18 squads, similarly to the German Bundesliga.
Denoncourt takes new role as head of CONCACAF referees
December 12 – Canadian Sonia Denoncourt has been appointed CONCACAF’s Director of Refereeing. Denoncourt’s role will be to head all aspects of referreing and the development of referees across the region, including directing the Heads of Refereeing in the Central American Football Union (UNCAF) and the Caribbean Football Union (CFU).
More Spanish violence as Barcelona stabbings leave two PSG fans hospitalised
December 12 – Two Paris St Germain fans are recovering after being stabbed following Wednesday night’s Champions League match against Barcelona at the Nou Camp, heaping even more pressure on Spanish to crack down on violence.
Hereford grab lifeline as new owners promise cash is coming
December 12 – Twenty-four days after Hereford United, famous for causing one of the great upsets in English football history, were thrown out of the game following a long and painful battle for survival, the club has been handed a reprieve.
Russians allocate $83m to rebuild Crimean sports
December 12 – Last week UEFA announced it was banning clubs in the annexed Crimea region of Ukraine playing in any Russian-organised football competitions. This week the Russians have announced a 4.5 billion ruble ($83 million) aid package to rebuild Crimean sports infrastructure.
Bulgarian FA president receives text threats as match-fixing probe deepens
By Alexander Krassimirov
December 12 – The President of the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) Borislav Mihaylov (pictured) has said he has received threatening text messages, possibly from criminal groups linked to match-fixing gangs.