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.
Europe
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.
Pitch invasion set to condemn stricken AEK to lower league life
By Andrew Warshaw
April 15 – The political instability in Greece has now been matched by football unrest after AEK Athens players were chased off the pitch by their fans, causing the abandonment of their top-division fixture at the weekend.
Kazakhs cold on united league with Azerbaijan and Georgia
By Mark Baber
April 15 – The Kazakhstan football federation has poured cold water on the hopes of Georgian federation president Zviad Sichinava (pictured), who is pushing to submit plans to UEFA for a united football league for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Kazakhstan which he claims would be able to attract significant investment.
La Liga pushes towards centralisation of TV rights sales
By Gareth Messenger
April 12 – The chief executive of La Liga, Francisco Roca, believes clubs in Spain will agree to sell their television rights colectively within the next three years as they look to slim down the gap in commercial sales revenues between their clubs, and also in comparison with international competition like the Premier League and the sales-revamped Bundesliga.
EBU deal is first fruit of UEFA’s centralised national team rights sales
By Paul Nicholson
April 12 – The first TV deal by CAA Eleven, the newly formed rights company representing UEFA’s national federations for their World Cup and European Championship qualifiers has been announced with the European Broadcast Union (EBU).
GLT decision applauded, Spanish will follow and hint at offside technology next
By Andrew Warshaw
April 12 – The English Premier League’s decision to introduce goalline technology in time for next season has been lauded by most of football’s participants, not least the fans.
Infantino says UEFA is not the block slowing FIFA’s reform process
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
April 12 – Claims that UEFA are deliberately stalling FIFA’s reform process, designed to make football’s corridors of power more transparent and accountable, have been dismissed by UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino. FIFA advisors have laid the blame for many of the original reform proposals being blocked squarely at the feet of UEFA, not least integrity checks for senior officials.
Football’s first social media pen opens at Wembley for FA Cup semis
By Tom Parsons
April 11- Wembley plays host to this weekend’s FA Cup semi-finals with football’s first social media pen opening at the historic venue at the same time.
Russian parliament passes anti-hooliganism bill
By Mark Baber and Andrew Warshaw
April 11 – The Russian Duma has passed a new bill banning violent and abusive fans from stadiums with 226 votes for and just one abstention. The bill will now go to the Federation Council, before being signed off by President Vladimir Putin.
Pompey fans win control of club and ground in last minute deal
By Andrew Warshaw
April 11 – After years of pain, heartache and broken dreams, the biggest fan ownership in the history of English football has finally been rubber-stamped after administrators of Portsmouth football club struck a last-minute deal for the sale of the club’s ground hours before the High Court hearing was to rule on its value.
UEFA unveils 10 game ban plan for racism on pitch, and closed stadiums for fan abuse
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent, in Manchester
April 10 – In arguably the biggest crackdown to date to tackle racism in football, UEFA will ban players and officials for a minimum 10 games if they are found guilty of abuse – and are also hitting fans hard by ordering teams to play behind closed doors.
High noon in the High Court for Pompey fans buyout bid
By Andrew Warshaw
April 10 – The High Court hearing into the future of ailing English club Portsmouth was finally due to get under way today in what supporters hope will result in the biggest fan ownership scheme in English football.