By Mark Baber
February 7 – A working group under the direction of sports sociologist Gunter A. Pilz is developing guidelines for the German Football Association (DFB) to help German football clubs prepare for the potential outing of a gay player.
By Richard van Poortvliet
February 6 – The idea resurrecting the Soviet Top Football League or ‘Vyshaya Liga’ is growing in popularity.
By Mark Baber
February 6 – The FIFA Appeal Committee has rejected the appeals lodged by the Hungarian Football Federation and the Bulgarian Football Union against the sanctions imposed last November for racist behaviour by their fans.
By Mark Baber
February 5 – The challenge of keeping club costs under control and within sustainable limits has been at the heart of the European Club Licensing Benchmarking Report which is now providing a measuring stick for what UEFA terms fair financial play and how the governing body will implement the rules and, most likely, enforce them.
By Mark Baber
February 5 – Player wages have jumped by a massive 38% over the past five years, according to the UEFA European Club Licensing Benchmarking Report, more than absorbing the increase of 24% in revenues for clubs over the period.
February 5 – Rangers chief executive Charles Green (pictured) has reacted angrily to the UK tax authorities reopening its case against the club and lodging an appeal against the verdict of the First Tier Tax Tribunal that had ruled in favour of the Scottish club.
February 5 – The Emirates airline has agreed in principle to a new 5-year shirt sponsorship deal with Paris Saint-Germain, for an undisclosed sum.
By Mark Baber
February 5 – Europol has revealed results of a major investigation across 13 European countries that has uncovered an extensive criminal network involved in widespread football match-fixing, implicating more than 425 people across 15 countries and 380 professional matches.
By David Owen
February 5 – Top-flight European football clubs took less in gate money in 2011 than they did in 2008, according to UEFA.
February 4 – UEFA have moved to take greater commercial control of their match data with a request for proposals (RFP) for the collection of UEFA match data and the distribution rights for official match data.
By Mark Baber
January 31 – AZ Alkmar striker Jozy Altidore responded to racist abuse by Den Bosch fans, Tuesday, by insisting the match continue and going on to score a penalty, as his side ran out 5-0 winners.
By Mark Baber
30 January – Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (pictured), chairman of the European Club Association and Bayern Munchen, says a rescheduling of the season away from winter football could be on the cards.
By Mark Baber
December 19 – Spanish club Deportivo de La Coruña are in imminent danger of entering administration.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 20 – Messages of support are flooding in from around the world after Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova stepped down temporarily because of a cancer recurrence.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 20 – Italian club Napoli are up in arms for being hit with a two-point deduction after becoming the latest Italian club sanctioned for alleged match-fixing.