IOC President’s team faces the drop in Germany
By David Owen
May 4 – The most powerful man in world sport faces a nervous week as one of his favourite football clubs battles to avoid relegation from the German Bundesliga.
Europe
Ladbrokes bet on a World Cup but winners take shine off profitsonanza, but too m
By Mark Baber
May 2 – Whilst UK bookmaker Ladbrokes have been laying the foundations for the World Cup the company says that despite a 34% year-on-year increase in football staking, their first quarter profits have been hit by a winning streak by favorites in football matches, leading to big pay outs on accumulator bets.
Battling Chelsea assistant handed six-match ban for misconduct
May 2 – In one of the most severe punishments ever handed out to backup coaching staff in top-flight English football, Rui Faria, assistant to Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, has been has been slapped with a six-match stadium ban for an altercation with officials during a recent Premier League game with Sunderland.
Sky Sports beefs up web stats with WhoScored.com data
By Tom Parsons
May 1 – Football statistics website whoscored.com has signed an exclusive deal with SkySports to share their unique ‘player characteristics’ on the SkySports website.
Champions League final boils down to a one-city football fiesta
May 1 – The Champions League Final in Lisbon later this month will be the first featuring two clubs from the same city after Atletico Madrid joined Real Madrid in the showpiece climax to the European club season.
St. Petersburg bids to continue Russia 2018 legacy in 2020
By Richard van Poortvliet
May 1 – Russia’s Minister for Sport, Vitaly Mutko, in his promotion of the bid for hosting Euro 2020 matches, said that “EURO 2020 will be a continuation of the 2018 World Cup.”
Portuguese investor sets sights Poland’s Flota Swinoujscie as a feeder club
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
April 30 – With several foreign-based investors reportedly eyeing acquisitions of a number of Polish football clubs, a new story has broken on the planned take over of Flota Swinoujscie by a Portuguese investment group.
More woe for Kazan Arena as Russians switch friendly to St Petersburg
By Richard van Poortvliet
April 30 – The Russian Football Union has moved Russia’s friendly match against Slovakia in May from Kazan to St. Petersburg, due to the poor state of the pitch in the capital of Tatarstan.
Fireball Polish fan goes viral as flare ignites security spray
April 30 – Horrific pictures of a Polish fan emerging unhurt after being doused in flames has been picked on up social media around the world and has heaped more concern on a country that has struggled to eradicate spectator violence.
Expanded Euro 2016 will open and close in Stade de France
April 30 – The Stade de France in Paris will host both the opening game and the final of Euro 2016 after UEFA confirmed the match schedule. Host nation France will get the competition under way on June 10, with the climax to the tournament – the first Euros to comprise 24 instead of 16 teams – a month later.
Welsh confident they can nab Euro 2020 spot
April 29- Welsh officials believe their bid to stage group matches at Euro 2020 could be given preference over some of their main rivals.
Spartak face sanctions after fans go on rampage in Kazan
By Richard van Poortvliet
April 28 – Spartak Moscow could be in yet more hot water with the Russian Football Union following the behaviour of their fans during their 2-1 defeat at Rubin Kazan on April 20.
Hungary’s MTK to build new €21m stadium
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
April 28 – Hungary’s MTK is planning to spend 6.5 billion forint (€21 million) on building a new stadium, according to Tamas Deutsch, the club’s chief executive.
Liberté Fraternité Inégalité: PSG generate 20 times more revenue than Corsican rival
By David Owen
April 28 – The revenues of Paris Saint-Germain, the French club whose prospects have been transformed since Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) took control three years ago, exceeded those of its smallest Ligue 1 rival by a factor of 20 in the 2012-13 season.
Turkish pull-out leaves England and Germany in run off for 2020 Euro finale
By Andrew Warshaw
April 26 – Traditional powerhouse rivals Germany and England will go head to head off the pitch for the right to stage the semifinals and final of Euro 2020 after Turkish officials unexpectedly withdrew favourites Istanbul from the running in order to concentrate solely on 2024.