Man City go cashless with tappit for fan events in UK and Asia
October 18 – Manchester City have agreed a deal with cashless experts tappit, who becomes the Club’s Official Events Cashless Payments Partner.
News
Platini sues FIFA for ‘criminal conspiracy’ over $2m payment that brought him down
By Andrew Warshaw
October 17 – His critics may describe his actions as verging on paranoia but banned former UEFA chief Michel Platini remains steadfast in his attempt to clear his name and prove he was the victim of a plot engineered by former FIFA officials.
Madagascar win qualifies them for their first AFCON finals
October 17 – Madagascar have qualified for their maiden African Cup of Nations finals after defeating Equatorial Guinea 1-0 in Vontovorona. They will be joined in Group A by Senegal and north African powerhouses Egypt and Tunisia for the 2019 finals.
Turkish prosecutors call for 12-year jail term for Barca’s on-loan bar brawler Turan
October 17 – Turkish prosecutors have charged Barcelona midfielder Arda Turan over a brawl with a well-known Turkish pop singer and have called for a jail sentence of 12 years.
Bookies looking for sponsorship edge could see boost for club shirt deals
By Paul Nicholson
October 17 – A self-imposed broadcast advertising ban by bookmakers on pre-9pm ads could drive UK betting sponsors and their marketing money back to clubs and drive up the value of premium shirt sponsorship positions.
Foul-mouthed Mourinho charged by FA for abusive language
October 17 – As if any extra spice were needed when Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho returns to his former club Chelsea for a crunch fixture this coming weekend, Mourinho has been charged over comments he made in Portuguese to a television camera after his side’s recent win over Newcastle.
Mutko muscled back in? RFU website declares him president
October 17 – Has he made a comeback after all? According to the website of the Russian Football Union, Vitaly Mutko has regained the RFU presidency despite reports that he had been overlooked because of his alleged role in the recent doping scandal.
New US pro-league NISA shakes off the covers with first team announcement
October 17 – The US will likely have more than one third tier league in 2019 with the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) announcing that Connecticut will have team, though the club’s specific location, ownership and team name will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Continental re-treads its Chinese FA national team sponsorship
October 17 – Germany’s Continental Tires has extended its sponsorship with the Chinese Football Association (CFA) and its national teams.
Germany’s Niersbach and Zwanziger cleared of tax fraud in 2006 cash for votes scandal
By Andrew Warshaw
October 16 – Two ex-presidents of the German FA, Wolfgang Niersbach (pictured left) and Theo Zwanziger (pictured right), plus former general secretary Horst Schmidt have won a landmark legal case after a Frankfurt court rejected tax evasion charges against them saying there was insufficient evidence of wrongdoing.
European Parliament session to focus on child trafficking in football
October 16 – The European Parliament is to host a high-level session in Brussels tonight to tackle the growing problem of child trafficking in sport, primarily focusing on football.
Sierra Leone sports minister accuses Johansen of deliberately engineering FIFA ban
October 16 – Sierra Leone’s Sports Minister, Ibrahim Nyelenkeh, has accused the country’s FA president Isha Johansen (pictured left with FIFA general secretary Fatma Samoura) of being personally responsible for FIFA shutting down the federation despite on-going criminal investigations into its leadership.
UEFA steps in to mediate over Eleven’s breaking of English Saturday 3pm broadcast ban
October 16 – UEFA has diplomatically stepped into the debate over UK football’s traditional Saturday afternoon broadcast blackout being breached by saying it is in talks with the English and Spanish leagues following reports that online streaming service Eleven Sports is defying the rules.
Mutko out in the cold? Russians leaning towards Zenit’s Dyukov to lead RFU
October 16 – Any hopes that Vitaly Mutko (pictured), for years one of FIFA’s most influential administrators, might have had of returning to the forefront of Russian football appear to have been dashed, with Alexander Dyukov likely to be appointed as head of the national federation.
Kiwi FA boss quits over women’s team bullying scandal
October 16 – New Zealand FA president Deryck Shaw has resigned in the wake of a damaging bullying scandal that has rocked the women’s game.