Whyte completes Rangers takeover for £1
By David Gold
May 6 – Craig Whyte (pictured) has completed his takeover of Glasgow Rangers after paying £1 ($1.63) for Sir David Murray’s stake in the Ibrox club.
Europe
UEFA chiefs back Blatter to carry on as FIFA President
By Andrew Warshaw
May 6 – The inner sanctum of European football’s governing body has pledged its “unanimous support” to Sepp Blatter in the upcoming FIFA Presidential elections.
Source of French ethnic quota leak revealed
By David Gold
May 4 – The French Football Federation (FFF) chief community officer, Mohamed Belkacemi, is reportedly the source of the leak which revealed secret plans by senior French football officials to implement a quota restricting the number of black and north African players in the country’s academies.
UEFA officials watch as football fans run rampage after Polish Cup Final
By David Gold
May 4 – Hooligans went on the rampage as UEFA officials looked on after Legia Warsaw defeated Lech Poznan on penalties in the Polish Cup Final, much to the embarrassment of local authorities.
Blaquart suspended over French quota row
By David Gold
April 30 – François Blaquart, the National Technical Director of the French Football Federation (FFF), has been suspended over plans to implement a quota restricting the number of black and north African players in French youth academies.
Spanish FA look to counter use of ball boys to waste time in La Liga clashes
By David Gold
April 30 – The Spanish Football Federation will look at changing the rules regarding time wasting and consider bringing in new sanctions after the increase in the use of multiple balls to hold up play.
French Football Federation in ethnic quota row
By David Gold
April 29 – The French Football Federation (FFF) will hold an investigation into reports emanating from French website Mediapart, which claimed officials within the organisation are in favour of quotas limiting the number of players recruited by academies from immigrant communities.
Rangers hit with UEFA fine and supporter ban for sectarian chanting
By David Gold
April 28 – Rangers were fined €40,000 (£36,000/$59,000) and their fans banned from the club’s next European away game following the behaviour of its supporters during a Europa League match earlier this season.
FA is “worst run” in Europe claims top UEFA official
By Andrew Warshaw at Westminster
April 26 – UEFA President Michel Platini’s top adviser says the English Football Association is arguably the worst run in Europe – mainly because of the power of the Premier League.
Swiss club set for takeover by Chechen businessman
By David Gold
April 26 – The purchase of debt ridden Swiss Super League club Neuchâtel Xamax by Chechen businessman Bulat Chagaev will go through on May 12.
Delaney hoping to bring more world-class football to Ireland after Europa final
By David Gold
April 23 – Irish FA chief executive John Delaney has set his sights on bringing the European Super Cup to Dublin after next month’s Europa League final, being held at the city’s Aviva stadium on May 18.
Getafe’s new Dubai owners set sights on Real Madrid
By David Gold
April 22 – A Dubai based group has announced the purchase of La Liga outfit Getafe in a deal worth €90million (£79 million/$131 million) – and immediately set their sights on working out how to beat local rivals Real Madrid, one of the giants of the world game.
UEFA will announce which FIFA Presidential candidate it supports in May, says Platini
By Andrew Warshaw at the Guildhall in London
April 20 – UEFA will decide at the beginning of May which candidate to back in the forthcoming FIFA election campaign, its President Michael Platini revealed today.
Talks cause fresh delay for Rangers takeover
By David Gold
April 20 – Craig Whyte’s proposed takeover of Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers could be delayed again, as current club chairman Alastair Johnson wants talks to continue until the end of the season.
Adidas and Bayern renew partnership
By David Gold
April 19 – Adidas has renewed its partnership with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich until 2020, in a deal which sees the company continue to supply team kits to the German outfit.