February 24 – Barcelona’s new president Josep Bartomeu (pictured) insists the transfer of Neymar to the Catalan giants was “completely legal” and that the club is totally innocent of tax fraud.
February 24 – UEFA president Michel Platini has countered opposition to those who claim expanding the European Championship finals to 24 teams will water down the competition and reduce the quality and spectacle.
By Paul Nicholson
February 23 – Europe’s federations took their minds off World Cup 2014 today as the draw for Euro 2016 qualifying competition took place in Nice, France. This is the first finals to be competed under UEFA’s increased format of 24 teams. It is also the first qualifying competition to have matches staggered from Thursday to Tuesday to create UEFA’s so-called Week of Football.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 21 – The prospect of Turkish Cypriot footballers playing for a national Cyprus team, ending more than half a century of isolation, has moved a step closer following the latest re-unification talks. Earlier this week, Greek and Turkish Cypriot officials attended a reception held by the French ambassador in Nicosia aimed at strengthening ties between the two communities on the disputed Mediterranean island.
By Paul Nicholson
February 21 – The largest 5-a-side competition the world has ever seen has been launched with 100,000 players from 180 countries already signed up to play against each other worldwide, but all competing in the same ranking.
February 21 – UEFA has opened an investigation into Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini’s comments about the referee following Tuesday’s 2-0 Champions League loss to Barcelona. Pellegrini was uncharacteristically critical of Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson, claiming he was “not impartial to both teams”.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
February 20 – Ruch Chorzow has signed an innovative sponsorship deal with Germany’s Fuchs Oil. Under the first long-term deal of this kind in Poland, the new sponsor will pay the club a fee each time it scores a goal.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 20 – Two controversial Champions League sendings-off this week have re-focussed attention on the so-called ‘triple punishment’ – penalty, sending off and subsequent suspension – that continues to so cause so must consternation throughout the game.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 20 – Kosovan football authorities are celebrating another significant step forward after the head of their federation, Fadil Vokrri, held potential breakthrough talks with UEFA President Michel Platini in the Albanian capital of Tirana.
February 20 – UEFA have been forced to switch Dynamo Kiev’s Europa League first-leg last-32 tie with Spain’s Valencia tonight to neutral ground in Cyprus because of the violence and political unrest in Ukraine’s capital city that has tragically caused at least 26 deaths.
By David Owen
February 20 – Manchester United’s teenage prodigy, Adnan Januzaj, has been made an honorary ambassador of the republic of Kosovo. Januzaj was the first of four footballers awarded the title this week by Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga for contributions to “affirmation of the interests of the Republic of Kosovo”.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 19 – UEFA are continuing their crackdown on racism by ordering CSKA Moscow to play their next European home game behind closed doors. Apollon Limassol of Cyprus and the Serbian Under-21 team, the latter previously embroiled in racism accusations following a game against England in 2012, have also been handed partial stadium closures because of monkey chanting by supporters.
By Jamie Styles
February 19 – Barcelona’s three official Twitter profiles were hacked on Tuesday, just hours after their 2-0 win over Manchester City in the Champions League.
February 19 – Fans of embattled Scottish Premier League club Heart of Midlothian are being asked to contribute financially for a further two years as the club transitions out of insolvency towards fan ownership and, hopefully, stability.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
February 18 – Petr Safarcik has become the majority shareholder of FC Banik Ostrava, the Czech football club said in a statement. With the acquisition of shares from local businessman Libor Adamek, Safarcik controls a combined 95% of the shares in Banik through his company PAM Market and as a private investor. The amount of the deal was not disclosed by the two businessmen.