By Panos Bletsos
September 24 – The Super League (SL) board of directors, the governing body of Greece’s top flight, is meeting today (September 24) to confirm the return of the 16-club format by the 2015-16 season. It has also been reported that another major change may be on the cards with the SL ruling on whether to bring in a relegation play-off for the ongoing campaign.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 23 – UEFA’s recently appointed executive committee member, David Gill, says every effort will be made to find a compromise that suits all parties over an alternative date if the 2022 Qatar World Cup is moved from summer.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 23 – Turkey’s hopes of being granted the Euro 2020 semifinal and finals suffered a public relations blow at the weekend when the Istanbul derby between Galatasaray and Besiktas was abandoned after supporters invaded the pitch at the Ataturk Stadium.
By Mark Baber
September 23 – UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) investigatory chamber has temporarily withheld the prize money of six clubs involved in the 2013/14 UEFA club competitions who have “important overdue payables towards other clubs and/or towards employees or social/tax authorities.”
September 23 – Ukraine could be docked points or forced to play a potentially decisive World Cup qualifier behind closed doors after FIFA launched an investigation into racism.
By Gareth Messenger
September 23 – Spanish club Athletic Bilbao have reached an agreement with multimedia communications group, MediaPro, regarding a long-running dispute over television rights. The Basque La Liga side said an agreement had been reached which will see Mediapro pay the “full amount” of the money owed. The rights agency must now pay €11.5 million to Athletic Bilbao.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 23 – Voters in FIFA’s home city of Zurich have rejected plans to build a 19,000-capacity football stadium, the second time in five years that residents have given the thumbs down for a new venue.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 20 – English third tier club Leyton Orient have lost their bid to win a judicial review into the controversial decision to grant Premier League side West Ham sole football tenancy of London’s 2012 Olympic Stadium.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 20 – The revolutionary multi-venue European Championship finals in 2020 have attracted no fewer than 32 applicants from across the Continent, well over half of the entire UEFA membership, it was announced today. Thirteen cities will be chosen in September next year to stage the one-off pan-European finals which UEFA President Michel Platini hopes will reduce construction costs and travel.
By Alexander Krassimirov
September 20 – Bulgaria’s Sofia stadium debate has taken another twist with president and owner of Slavia Sofia Ventsislav Stefanov (pictured left) announcing that he is in negotiation with the owner of PFC Ludogorets Razgrad, Kiril Domuschiev (pictured right), to build a new joint stadium in Sofia. PFC Ludogorets have won the Bulgarian champions for the past two years but play home games at Razgrad – a small town in north-east of Bulgaria.
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
September 19 – UEFA’s 54 member nations are backing Michel Platini’s campaign for the 2022 Qatar World Cup to be switched from summer – but an exact alternative date remains undecided. The UEFA boss wants the tournament to be moved to January as distinct from November and December which is believed to be the favoured option of FIFA.
By Mark Baber
September 18 – Athletic Bilbao celebrated their first game in their new San Mamés stadium with a 3-2 win over Celta Vigo in the driving rain on Monday night.
By Alexander Krassimirov
September 18 – The head coach of Bulgarian CSKA Sofia Stoycho Mladenov (pictured) said he is expecting a murder at the Bulgarska armia stadium. Mladenov was speaking after CSKA’s 6-2 win over FC Haskovo in the Bulgarian Cup.
By Panos Bletsos
Septeber 17 – Greece’s biggest club, Olympiakos Pirea, has pulled out of its sponsorship deal with OPAP SA. The club made the decision soon after OPAP, the exclusive operator of lottery and sports betting in Greece, changed ownership.
September 17 – Football is not always highlighted for humanitarian gestures between professionals, hence the interest generated by the relevation from Monaco captain Eric Abidal that his former Barcelona teammate Dani Alves offered to donate part of his liver when the French international needed a transplant last year.