Anelka buys Belgian club Ath as he moves towards coaching
By Samindra Kunti
July 20 – In a surprise move former France international Nicolas Anelka has bought Ath, a Belgian fourth division club on the brink of extinction.
Europe
Critics slam English FA for Mackay discrimination case whitewash
July 17 – A case involving alleged anti-semitism, sexism and homophobia and which lasted 11 months has finally been resolved, though with an immediate backlash, after English football authorities announced no disciplinary action will be taken against former Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay.
Bulgarian sports ministry to pump cash into club academies
By Alexander Krassimirov
July 17 – The Ministry of Youth and Sports in Bulgaria has committed to allocating substantially increased funds to club youth academies in 2016. The announcement was made by Bulgarian sports minister Krassen Kralev (pictured) who outlined what would the subsidies for the Bulgarian Football Union would be for the new season.
Levski bring in wage cap as new season budget is cut
By Alexander Krassimirov
July 15 – The new owners of Bulgaria’s Levski Sofia have taken emergency measures to financially stabilize the club, imposing a wage limit on players in advance of the new season.
Villar lines up eighth term as boss of Spanish football
By Andrew Warshaw
July 15 – Controversial FIFA vice-president Angel Maria Villar (pictured) is poised to stand for a remarkable eighth term of office as head of Spanish football despite being widely reported as being under investigation by FIFA. If re-elected the new term would take him through 30 years as the head of the Spanish federation.
Players’ union to provide funds for speed skater in landmark legal case
By David Owen
July 14 – FIFPro, football’s international players’ union, is to provide financial support to Claudia Pechstein (pictured), a German speed skater, in a legal battle that could have profound consequences for the way international sport settles its disputes.
Partizan Belgrade looks for €3m from stadium naming rights deal
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
July 14 – Partizan Belgrade is aiming to open a new stream of revenue with plans to sign a stadium naming rights deal, according to Milos Vazura, the chief executive of the Serbian football club.
Doyen banking on Brussels court seeing value in football’s ‘slave trade’
By Andrew Warshaw
July 14 – An investment company supporting Third Party Ownership says it hopes to learn by July 24 whether it has been successful in challenging FIFA’s recently introduced global ban on the practise.
Telefónica picks up €600m La Liga rights in landmark Spanish deal
By David Owen
July 13 – Telefónica, the Spanish telecommunications group, has agreed to pay €600 million for domestic broadcasting rights to La Liga for the forthcoming season, in a landmark deal for Spanish football.
CAS hits Serbia overturning UEFA decision with big award to Albania
By Mark Baber
July 13 – Friday’s decision by the Court of Arbitration in Sport (CAS) to overturn the ruling of UEFA concerning the Serbia-Albania game of October 14 and award the game to Albania leaves the court open to accusations it has been influenced by anti-Serbian sentiment.
Bulgaria: Friendly turns sour when fans attack players
By Alexander Krassimirov
July 13 – The Ultras of Bulgaria’s Cherno more prematurely ended the club’s last friendly game before the start of the season against Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa. Fans of Bulgarian Cup holders, invaded the pitch during the first half, an attacked the Lokomotiv players.
Brugge set sights on buying US club to nurture fresh talent
By Samindra Kunti
July 13 – Belgian top-flight outfit Club Brugge has set its sights on acquiring an American club from the lower divisions in the future in a bid to bolster its youth operations.
Danes block ‘unstoppable’ Barca academy on child protection grounds
By Mark Baber
July 10 – FC Barcelona, currently serving a one-year transfer ban for breaking FIFA’s child protection rules, have been blocked by the Danish Football Federation (DBU) from realising their ambition to set up an academy in Denmark.
Monaco lose tax privileges, as French court rules they have to pay
July 10 – The highest court in France has quashed an agreement between Monaco and the French football league (FFF) that has been giving the principality club special tax status.
Premier League close to sold out, La Liga and Ligue1 have space to grow
July 10 – New research from KPMG’s Sport practice into attendances in the big five European football markets has found that the top two divisions in each territory attracted more than 77 million spectators at an average of 19,500 spectators per match.