By Andrew Warshaw
November 24 – The chief executive of Germany’s Bundesliga is the latest high-profile figure to enter the debate over Fifa’s handling of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup anti-corruption investigation, saying coordinated action was needed from Europe to reform world football’s governing body.
November 24 -Croatia’s so-called “Eternal derby” between Hajduk Split and arch-rivals Dinamo Zagreb was scrapped at the weekend after dozens of blacklisted Hadjuk fans were barred – and their players, remarkably, protested in sympathy.
November 24 – The president of French League 2 club Nimes has quit following allegations of matchfixing in the latest scandal to rock French football. Jean-Marc Conrad, who has led the ‘Crocodiles’ since April, is under formal investigation along with Caen chairman Jean-Francois Fortin and four others on suspicion of fixing the result of a fixture between their clubs.
By Mark Baber
November 21 – Following the election of Carlo Tavecchio, who came to power using racist rhetoric which has earned him a six-month UEFA ban, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has acted to implement his core election agenda item, passing new regulations limiting the number of foreign players in Italy, especially those from countries outside the EU.
By Alexander Krassimirov
November 21 – The president of the Bulgarian Football Union Borislav Mihaylov (pictured) has responded to criticism of a lack of money in Bulgarian football saying that sponsors have deserted the national team due to lack of success and that the government provides no funding to the federation.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
November 19 – Nicos Kyrzis, the chairman of Cypriot club Apollon Limassol on the Greek side of the partitioned island, has unveiled plans to build a new stadium with a capacity of 12,000. Under the scheme, the cost of the build will be up to €17 million.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
November 21 – Czech businessman Miroslav Pelta has said he plans to hand over control of top tier club FK Baumit Jablonec, in which he holds a 80% stake, to a new investor. The sale could also solve a potential conflict of interest for the Pelta, who is also the president of the Czech football association FACR.
November 20 – England fans have been criticised, and the FA has apologised on their behalf, following provocative chanting during this week’s prestige friendly with Scotland.
November 20 – Real Madrid looks set to announce a naming rights deal for stadium after Florentino Perez was caught on camera saying the Bernabeu could soon be called the IPIC Bernabeu or Cepsa Bernabeu.
By Mark Baber
November 19 – In a throwback to the Bernard Tapie scandals of the 1990s, French police swooped in on the leading lights of Olympique Marseille (OM) on Tuesday morning, arresting club president Vincent Labrun and general manager Philip Perez at their homes in Saint-Remy de Provence and Marseille and questioning them over potential corruption and kick backs involving multi-million Euro transfer deals.
By Paul Nicholson
November 19 – According to Russian news agency Tass, scientists at Russia’s Siberian university have started building Russia’s first robot team.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 19 – Scotland’s former World Cup referee Hugh Dallas (pictured) has stepped down as head of referees in Greece just days after matches were suspended indefinitely following an attack on one of his colleagues.
November 18 – Croatian football authorities, seemingly at the end of their patience over the hooligan reputation of their fans, have called on the country’s entire society to help eradicate the problem following last weekend’s flare-throwing incident that caused a Euro 2016 qualifier in Italy to be briefly suspended.
November 17 – UEFA seem certain to take action after the latest incident of crowd trouble to mar a major game on the European stage. Riot police fought with fans at the high-profile Euro 2016 qualifier between Italy and Croatia that ended 1-1 as a flood of flares were hurled down the from stands, enveloping the pitch at the San Siro in thick smoke.
By Mark Baber
November 13 – The issue of a Roma football club based in Decin in the Czech Republic, whom five league opponents have refused to play, has highlighted the racism and discrimination faced by the Roma communities in Eastern Europe and illustrates the obstacles football administrators need to overcome to ensure equal access and opportunities for all.