Hertha bus shot, no-one hurt
August 10 – Police in Germany are investigating an unprovoked attack on a Bundesliga team bus which was on its way to pick up players travelling to an away game.
Europe
Carrard takes time to consider taking FIFA reform lead
By Andrew Warshaw
August 7 – Former International Olympic Committee director general Francois Carrard (pictured) has emerged as a possible chairman of FIFA’s reform taskforce set up in the light of the unprecedented corruption scandal that has enveloped the organisation.
PSG kick off Ligue 1 but expectancy already turning to European competition
By Samindra Kunti
August 7 – Today Paris Saint Germain kick off Ligue 1 with an away game to Lille. The question is not if the Parisians will dominate domestic French football, but how far they can progress in the UEFA Champions League?
Dutch arrest 53 as local rivalry turns ‘friendly’ Europa qualifier ugly
August 7 – Police made 53 arrests, though only three of them supporters of visiting Southampton, before the English club’s Europa League tie against Vitesse Arnhem on Thursday.
Games called off as Dutch season start disrupted by police strike
By Mark Baber
August 7 – Industrial action by the Dutch police has led to the postponement of five Eredivisie matches at the start of the new season, the Dutch football association KNVB announced on Thursday.
Koeman’s Saints march on, but Bilic’s Hammers hit sour note
By Andrew Warshaw
August 6 – The Europa League may be the poorer sister of the Champions League but before it is has even got into its stride this season, UEFA’s number two club competition is splitting opinion about whether it worth prioritising – and not just among fans.
Barca build towards €1bn pa revenue bonanza by 2021
By Paul Nicholson
August 6 – Barcelona published their 2014/15 financial statement showing revenue of €608 million, the largest ever by any sporting club. But this is peanuts as by 2021 the club says it will grow revenue to more than €1 billion annually. Football Benchmark, the data and analysis arm of KPMG’s sports practice, says this isn’t just idle talk.
Legia awarded 3-0 win, Fred alright said UEFA
August 5 – UEFA have awarded Legia Warsaw a 3-0 victory in their Europa League match away to FK Kukesi that was abandoned after one of their players was hit by a stone thrown from the crowd.
Thai tycoon pays reported €480m for a piece of AC Milan
By Andrew Warshaw
August 5 – Asian investors’ increasing involvement in snapping up Europe’s most glamorous clubs has taken another significant leap after AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi agreed to sell a 48% stake to Thai property tycoon Bee Taechaubol (pictured).
Ronaldo buys Greek island wedding gift for his agent
August 4 – The Greek economy may be in turmoil but the country remains a popular holiday destination, so much so that Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has just bought up a complete island for agent Jorge Mendes as a wedding present.
Indonesian players tell fans how they were forced into match-fixing
August 4 – Eight months after a match-fixing scandal in Indonesian domestic football featuring PSS Sleman and PSIS Semarang, PSS players have spoken out about what happened.
Romanian FA limits job-hopping officials to two clubs per season
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
August 4 – In a bid to introduce more transparency into the country’s football league, the Romanian Football Federation (FRF) has decided to limit the number of clubs where officials can work to two per season.
Dutch launch stepping-stone league to build pro-club base
By Samindra Kunti
August 4 – The KNVB, the Dutch FA, is implementing a structural reform of its domestic club football. From the 2016/17 season onwards professional and amateur football in the Netherlands will be integrated through a mandatory system of promotion and relegation.
PSG and Arsenal win their super cups: but is competition being strangled?
By Mark Baber
August 3 – The victory of Paris St Germain in the Trophee des Champions has been greeted by predictable headlines regarding the club’s dominance of French soccer, but statistical analysis shows that behind Arsenal’s victory over Chelsea on Sunday lies an historically significant stranglehold on the Community Shield by a small group of England’s top clubs.
WATCH the Audi Cup LIVE on Insideworldfootball Spurs vs Real Madrid, Bayern Munich vs AC Milan
Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur will meet in the first semi-finals of the Audi Cup in the Allianz Arena tomorrow, with a place in the final of the competition on Wednesday up for grabs. They will be followed by Bayern Munich vs AC Milan. Both matches can be viewed free on Insideworldfootball – note some countries are geo-restricted so check your local broadcast schedules. The link to the Real vs Spurs match is http://bit.ly/1KLQoQ2,