Manchester City protest over racism towards Toure and Balotelli
By Andrew Warshaw
February 17 – Manchester City have protested to UEFA over alleged racist abuse aimed at their players during last night’s 2-1 Europa League victory at FC Porto.
Europe
Barry Hearn: London 2012 Olympic Stadium is not fit for football
By David Gold
February 20 – Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn has claimed that the London 2012 Olympic Stadium “is not fit for football.”
Azerbaijan mobile phone company sign-up as World Cup sponsor
By David Gold
February 16 – Bakcell, one of Azerbaijan’s leading mobile phone providers, has been confirmed as the third company so far committed to support the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup, being held later this year from September 22 to October 13.
Rangers making “very good progress” claim administrators
By Andrew Warshaw
February 15 – Administrators in charge of Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers are confident the club will not go out of business, citing “very good progress” within the first 24 hours of taking over the running the 54-times league champions.
Olympiakos Volos lose Europa League CAS appeal
By Andrew Warshaw
February 15 – UEFA have won another battle in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) with the news that Greek club Olympiakos Volos have failed to overturn being kicked out of this season’s Europa League.
Rangers enter administration and suffer 10 point penalty
By Andrew Warshaw
February 14 – Twenty-four hours after filing the relevant papers, Glasgow Rangers became one of the world’s most high-profile clubs ever to enter administration today, a stunning humiliation for a team supported by millions of fans worldwide and a severe wakeup call for clubs who fail to properly manage their financial affairs.
Turkish match fixing trial gets underway in Istanbul
By Andrew Warshaw
February 14 – Nine months after the start of one of the world’s biggest ever match fixing probes, almost 100 Turkish officials, including a raft of past and present club Presidents, managers and players, went on trial in Istanbul today.
Spanish football league ends negotiations with AFE over players’ wages
By David Gold
February 14 – The Spanish football league (LFP) has ended negotiations with the country’s players union (AFE) on a deal over wages in a move which threatens to cause another player’s strike.
Glasgow Rangers file for administration
By Andrew Warshaw
February 13 – Glasgow Rangers, one of the world’s most iconic clubs, filed for administration today in arguably the starkest example yet of football’s fragile finances.
Ajax Supervisory Board offer resignations over Cruyff dispute
By David Gold
February 11 – The entire Ajax Supervisory Board have offered to resign to bring to an end the civil war between those supportive of, and those opposed to, the plans of club legend Johan Cruyff (pictured), which continues to paralyse the Dutch champions.
Europe’s catenaccio economy slows growth of football’s biggest clubs
By David Owen
February 9 – Much as massed catenaccio defences once frustrated the best strikers, so Europe’s economic woes are slowing revenue growth at the continent’s top football clubs.
Stuart Pearce named as England’s caretaker manager
By Andrew Warshaw
February 9 – Stuart Pearce (pictured left) was today given caretaker control of the England team for the upcoming friendly against Holland on February 29 following a tempestuous 24 hours sparked by the shock resignation of manager Fabio Capello (right), English Football Association chairman David Bernstein confirmed.
Fabio Capello quits as England manager leaving Redknapp as favourite to take over
By Andrew Warshaw
February 8 – Fabio Capello sensationally quit as England manager tonight with immediate effect – ironically on the day Harry Redknapp, the bookies’ favourite to have replaced him after Euro 2012, was cleared of tax evasion charges after a two-week trial.
Sauli Niinistö steps down as boss of Finnish FA to take up role as nation’s President
By David Gold
February 8 – Sauli Niinistö (pictured left) has quit his post as President of the Football Association of Finland (SPL-FBF) after being elected as the President of Finland.
Clubs show a terrifying lack of respect for players, warns FIFPro
By Andrew Warshaw
February 8 – The global union for professional players, FIFPro, has called on FIFA and UEFA to heed their calls to make sure players in some countries are paid on time by their clubs or risk a potential strike.