By Paul Nicholson
August 28 – Russia is poised to embark on a programme of football reform in a bid to improve the standard and competitiveness of its national team and club sides in advance of the 2018 World Cup. The proposals include quotas on overseas players – called legionnaires in the draft bill – as well as regulation of how clubs spend their cash.
By Andrew Warshaw in Monaco
August 29 – Michel Platini says his revolutionary pan-European 2020 Euro finals will wipe out white elephants as it emerged that Wembley stadium is now odds-on favourite to hold the latter stages of the finals.
August 29 – The draw for the group stages of the Champions League, conducted in Monaco today, threw up its usual mixture of mouth-watering ties and unknown quantities.
By Andrew Warshaw in Monaco
August 28 – UEFA has invited the heads of the Russian and Ukrainian federations to its Swiss headquarters next month in an attempt to resolve the ongoing crisis over Crimean clubs and secure some kind of breakthrough.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
August 28 – Poland’s Stomil Olsztyn has outlined plans to build a new 12,000 capacity stadium in a bid to lure new supporters, as it pushes its way up the country’s league structure.
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent, in Monaco
August 28 – The most open secret in football politics was confirmed today when UEFA president Michel Platini ended months of speculation by officially announcing he would not be standing against Sepp Blatter for the top job in world football.
By Alexander Krassimirov
August 28 – The owner of Ludogorets Razgrad, Kiril Domuschiev, has said he will do everything in his power to get permission to hold Ludogorets’ Champions League home games at the National Stadium Vasil Levski in Sofia. The Bulgarians dramatically qualified for the group stages after a penalty shoot out last night with Steaua Bucharest.
August 28 – Vladimir Romanov, a shareholder in failed Lithuanian bank Ukio Bankas and former owner of Scottish club Hearts, has been granted safe haven in Russia.
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
August 27 – Will he or won’t he? After months of speculation amid an intriguing and inconclusive game of cat and mouse, UEFA boss Michel Platini is expected to reveal on Thursday whether he has decided to risk taking on Sepp Blatter next year for the top job in world football.
By Alexander Krassimirov
August 27 – Bulgarian champions Ludogorets could be forced to play its matches in the group phase of the Champions League outside Bulgaria if they beat Romania’s Steaua in the playoffs. The second match against the Romanians is tonight in Sofia, with Steaua leading by a goal.
By Mark Baber
August 26 – On Friday, UEFA’s Emergency Panel issued a statement saying that “any football matches played by Crimean clubs organised under the auspices of the Russian Football Union will not be recognised by UEFA.” The decision has been welcomed as a wise one by Russian football authorities.
August 26 – Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has been handed an eight-match ban for his antics during the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup against rivals Real.
August 26 – A row has broken out with Russia over the cost of the TV rights to broadcast the EURO 2016 qualifiers and finals, forcing sports minister Vitaly Mutko to step in and seek a solution.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 26 – In a move that seems likely to cause considerable consternation, the Italian football federation (FIGC) has ruled that its new president Carlo Tavecchio has no case to answer over allegedly racist comments he made during the recent election campaign.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
August 26 – Municipal authorities in Oslo have approved a plan to build a new stadium for Valerenga. The new facility will allow the Norwegian side to move from Ullevaal, the country’s national stadium, where it currently plays its home matches.