Polish league in turmoil as Polonia Warsaw hit the rocks
By Krzysztof Baranowski
April 24 – The crisis facing Polish top division football is deepening with Ekstraklasa club Polonia Warsaw on the brink of going out of business.
Europe
Tebas puts ending Spanish match-fixing to top of his agenda
By Andrew Warshaw
April 24 – The new president of the Spanish Football League says his top priority is bringing an end to match-fixing.
Beckenbauer signs up for Gazprom social project
April 24 – Former German icon and FIFA administrator Franz Beckenbauer has signed a personal endorsement deal with Russian gas giant Gazprom designed to promote football as a tool for social integration among children.
Judge threatens Deportivo liquidation unless deal struck over Media Pro cash
By Monica Villar
April 23 – A Spanish judge has threatened Deportivo de La Coruña with liquidation unless an agreement can be found between the banks and the club over the share out of the Media Pro money held in escrow buy the court.
Spanish consider passing law to force collective sale of TV rights
By Gareth Messenger
April 23 – The on-going Spanish debate over the collective sale of club TV rights could be ended by the government if a new law is passed to force the teams into group sales.
Sevilla chief del Nido says everyone is for sale and that the LFP must change
By Monica Villar
April 23 – Controversial Sevilla president José María del Nido has said that although they are still chasing a European place, the club’s financial crisis is such that every player has a price on his head and any of them could leave in the summer.
Bayern’s Hoeness could face tax fraud charges over undeclared Swiss account
By Paul Nicholson
April 21 – Uli Hoeness, Bayern Munich’s outspoken club president and supervisory board chairman, could face tax evasion charges in Germany after failing to declare a Swiss bank account. German public prosecutors are currently looking at his financial records to decide whether to proceed with a case against him.
Welsh FA warns players and clubs of Twitter abuse
By Tom Parsons
April 19 – Local Welsh footballers and clubs are being warned that they could face disciplinary action if they send abusive messages through social media and websites to their opponents.
AEK penalty puts Greek giant on brink of relegation
By Andrew Warshaw
April 19 – AEK Athens are set to be relegated from the top flight of Greek football for the first time in their 89-year history after a points deduction handed down for crowd violence left them stranded near the bottom with one match remaining.
Emirates close to landing Real Madrid shirt deal
By Andrew Warshaw
April 18 – Emirates Airlines is on the verge of capturing its most prestigious shirt sponsorship deal to date by agreeing a partnership with Real Madrid believed to be worth up to €30m a year, according to reports in Spain.
Valencia crisis deepens as Foundation President resigns over battle for control
By Gareth Messenger
April 18 -The chaos at Valencia is continuing to cause doubt among players, the coaching staff and supporters, after the club’s Foundation President Francisco Varona resigned.
Italian clubs want increased competition for their reserve teams
April 17 – In order to develop more young talent, Serie A clubs in Italy want their reserve teams to be allowed to play in the country’s lower leagues.
Polish club crisis sees latest casualty Lodz dropped two divisions
By Krzysztof Baranowski
17 April – LKS Lodz, one of Poland’s oldest league clubs with a proud 105-year tradition, has declared itself bankrupt and unable to pay money owed to former players and coaches.
Qatar and Germany to strengthen ties in World Cup build up
By Mark Baber
April 16 – Angela Merkel yesterday urged Qatar to ensure transparency and reliability in the bidding for World Cup 2022 projects.
SPL dissenters kill Scottish league reform despite majority in favour
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
April 16 – Scottish football was plunged into total disarray when Premier League clubs failed to reach a consensus on a groundbreaking deal designed to restructure and re-invigorate the game, prompting widespread anger and in-fighting.