Barca’s ‘reverse’ sponsorship deal with Unicef extended for 2 years
November 13 – Barcelona have agreed a two-year extension to its partnership with the United Nations Children’s fund, Unicef.
Europe
Yeung money laundering trial continues, Birmingham City future in balance
By Andrew Warshaw
November 13 – Carson Yeung, the Hong Kong businessman who owns English club Birmingham City, has lost a second appeal to have his money laundering trial thrown out. A district court judge said Yeung wasn’t prejudiced by new evidence submitted by the prosecution during the trial which has been going for almost two months.
CSKA fan group launches text campaign to raise funds for academy facilities
By Alexander Krassimirov
November 13 – Non-profit organisation CSKA Forever is raising funds via premium short text messages to be used in several ways. The bulk of the money raised will go towards the construction of several small football grounds which will be used by the club’s Academy. Currently young CSKA players train and play matches at different stadiums in Sofia and the surrounding area.
Hoeness stands his ground over tax evasion allegations
By Andrew Warshaw
November 12- German legend and Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness will not resign despite his upcoming trial for alleged tax evasion.
Barca lose Messi until early next year
November 12- Lionel Messi has been ruled out for the rest of the year with a torn hamstring muscle, with Barcelona’s world player of the year missing at least seven games for club and country.
Italian derby abandoned after fan threats turn fixture into farce
By Andrew Warshaw
November 11 – Even by Italian standards, it was surely one of the most bizarre episodes ever to occur in a professional football match. A third division derby was called off on Sunday after visiting side Nocerina, having allegedly received death threats from their own fans, deliberately reduced themselves to six players forcing the game to be abandoned.
Poland’s Ekstraklasa seeks to modify mass events safety bill and increase attendances
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
November 11 – Poland’s Ekstraklasa is aiming to introduce a number of modifications into the country’s mass events safety bill. The operator of the top tier of Poland’s professional football league outlined the proposed changes in a document entitled Safe Ekstraklasa: shutting down the stadiums, shutting down the opportunities.
Suspended and threatened, Bulgarian ref turns to police for help
By Alexander Krassimirov
November 11 – Police in the Bulgarian town of Shumen have launched an investigation after a series of threats were made against the Bulgarian international football referee Stanislav Todorov (pictured). The referee lodged a complaint at the police station following the threats. Todorov was interviewed for an hour, and also informed the newspaper ’24 hours’ Daily. The police in Shumen have confirmed Todorov’s report of the incident but declined to give further details.
Poland’s Legia Warsaw ups the stakes with Fortuna as new sponsor
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
November 8 – Poland’s Legia Warsaw has unveiled Central Europe’s leading betting operator Fortuna Entertainment Group as its new main sponsor. The deal will come into effect next year and last until end 2016.
FIFPro Expert Group focuses on unpaid players and demands rule changes
By Paul Nicholson
November 8 – FIFPro’s Expert Group on Transfer Matters has completed its latest round of meetings and has instructed its legal department to draft a series of ammendments to be proposed to FIFA to change Article 17 of its regulations. Article 17 of the FIFA Rules and Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP) deals partly with the aim of guaranteeing the Respect of Contract. FIFPro’s recommendations are designed to harden this clause for players’
Exclusive: Cyprus’s landmark pact opens pathway towards a unified league
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
November 7 – A joint football league could be resurrected in Cyprus within two years as a result of this week’s historic deal between Greek and Turkish Cypriot officials and FIFA. That’s the view of Hasan Sertoglu (pictured), head of the unofficial Cyprus Turkish Football Association (CTFA) following the provisional arrangement signed by both sides to organise the sport on the divided Mediterreanan island.
Levski escape with minimum sanction after ‘death banner’ hearing
By Alexander Krassimirov
November 7 – Bulgaria’s Levski Sofia was punished with a minimum fine for misconduct of its supporters during the championship game against Pirin Gotse Delchev last weekend. The club’s Ultras (extreme fans) raised banners calling for the “death of the refugees” in Bulgaria.
Greek authorities raid FA offices as part of financial investigation
By Panos Bletsos
November 6 – The Hellenic Football Federation looks to be in serious trouble as more than 40 state officials, including prosecutors and financial crime investigators, raided the EPO headquarters unannounced on Monday in search of evidence of financial irregularities.
58 years of separation ends as Cypriots reach milestone unification pact
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
November 5 – After months of sensitive negotiations, a major milestone in the history of Cypriot football was reached today when Greek and Turkish Cypriot officials signed a provisional agreement with FIFA aimed at ending decades of mistrust and disunity between the respective footballing communities on the divided Mediterranean island.
More Serbian fan violence triggers calls for tougher state action
By Andrew Warshaw
November 5 – Serbia should follow English football’s lead in tackling hooliganism after yet another Belgrade derby was marred by fan violence, according to a senior government sports official. Nenad Borovcanin made his comments after fans ran riot before and during last weekend’s clash between bitter rivals Red Star and Partizan.