By Mark Baber
December 17 – Members of Besiktas’ Carsi supporter group, Turkish opposition groups, human rights campaigners and rival supporters gathered outside an Istanbul court chanting “Stand against fascism” as 35 members of the ultra group went on trial for participating in the demonstrations against the redevelopment of Gezi Park, one of Istanbul’s last areas of greenery.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
December 17 – FC Copenhagen has extended its sponsorship contract with Denmark’s leading brewer Carlsberg. The new contract will see the company remain the football side’s sponsor until 2021.
December 17 – Celtic’s Bulgarian on-loan winger Aleksandar Tonev has lost his appeal against a seven-match ban for racially abusing an opponent.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.