Doors closed on Legia appeal of fan ban for Real Madrid game
October 13 – UEFA have rejected Legia Warsaw’s appeal against a Champions League stadium ban meaning the Polish club will have to play Real Madrid behind closed doors on November 2.
World Football
Copa Libertadores revamps with addition of 6 more teams for 2017
By Samindra Kunti
October 12 – Brazil will be the biggest winner of CONMEBOL’s decision to expand its top club competition, the Copa Libertadores, by six teams. Brazil will have two more representatives in the expanded competition, the South American equivalent of the Champions League.
From dark to light. Tite’s Brazil return to top World Cup qualifying table
By Samindra Kunti
October 12 – Brazil have moved top of the South American qualifying group for the Russia 2018 World Cup with a 2-0 win over Venezuela. Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus and Chelsea’s Willian were on target.
Tebas re-elected to lead Spain’s La Liga for second term
October 12 – Outspoken Spanish league president Javier Tebas, who has refused to condemn third party ownership despite widespread opposition to the practise, has been handed a second four-year term.
Small town America is developing a passion for professional football
By Paul Nicholson
October 10 – For the regular season just finished, the USL, the third tier of the US professional leagues, hit record aggregate attendances of 1.5 million for the season, a 40% increase on previous years. But it is not just attendances that are growing for this challenger league in the US.
Olsson and Ceferin find common ground over new Champions League deal
By Andrew Warshaw
October 7 – Leading leagues across Europe say they have won vital concessions from UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin over plans to revamp the Champions League.
Kosovo honeymoon period over as they crash against Croatia
October 7 – Sadly the result did not match the anticipation. Kosovo’s first competitive home fixture since being admitted by FIFA and UEFA ended in a 6-0 defeat by Croatia that leaves them bottom of their World Cup qualifying group.
Football agents are ‘cancer’, they aren’t needed, says Napoli’s de Laurentiis
By Andrew Warshaw
October 6 – The boss of one of Italy’s major top-flight clubs has issued a scathing attack on the role of agents in the wake of the English newspaper sting that saw Sam Allardyce lose the national manager’s job after just 67 days and which quoted agents boasting about how many managers had been paid off in transfer deals.
Sparta Prague boss fries sexist players by sending them to train with women’s team
October 6 – Two players with Czech side Sparta Prague who caused outrage with their sexist comments have been told to train with the women’s team.
Montagliani swings the axe for reform, unity and a CONCACAF World Cup
By Paul Nicholson
October 5 – One of the leaders of football’s brave new world, CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani, has suggested that Russia and Qatar hosting the 2018 and 2022 World Cups could be the best thing to have happened to football in that it provided an accelerant for the clean-up of the game globally, and particularly in his region.
Jersey appeal to CAS in bid to become a UEFA member
October 4 – The Jersey Football Association (JFA) have lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in an attempt to overturn UEFA’s rejection of their membership bid.
Jersey believe they have just as strong a case as the likes of new members Gibraltar and Kosovo and are testing this at sport’s highest court.
The JFA say they have been told by UEFA that the Channel island fails to meet the criteria for affiliation because Article 5 of the UEFA Statutes,
Juve and AC Milan line up for Italian Supercup in Doha
By Samindra Kunti in Amsterdam
October 3 – This year’s Italian Supercup between Juventus and AC Milan will be played in Doha, Qatar. The announcement was made at the Aspire4sport Global Summit on Football Performance & Science in Amsterdam today.
West Ham women battle for a little equality, club in fight for control
October 4 – An English Premier League club has been accused of gender discrimination – by the chairman of its own ladies’ team. Stephen Hunt has launched a scathing attack on West Ham United and has lodged a formal complaint with the Football Association following a prolonged row over funding and facilities.
Rio government poised to bring management change at Maracanã
By David Owen
October 3 – Management of one of the world’s most iconic football stadia – Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã – looks set to change hands. Brazilian media reports state that the Government of Rio de Janeiro and the concessionaire of the venue, opened in 1950 and partly rebuilt ahead of the 2014 World Cup, are negotiating termination of the current management contract.
CAF ensures future African presidency will come from its ExCo family only
By Andrew Warshaw
September 30 – Issa Hayatou (pictured), the all-powerful, old-school and often controversial ruler of African football who was in temporary charge of FIFA until the election of Gianni Infantino, has won another significant victory in his bid to retain control of the region he has run for the last 28 years.