Honduran Peralta gunned down in home town
December 11 – Honduran international Arnold Peralta was tragically shot dead in a parking lot on Thursday by unknown assailants while on holiday in his hometown.
World Football
Money makes money: Champions League bias perpetuates big leagues and big clubs
By Paul Nicholson
December 10 – Benchmark Sport’s latest report looks at the UEFA Champions league and the spread of representation of nations and clubs. The findings are that the competition has been increasingly – and perhaps worryingly – centralised around the big leagues and the big clubs.
World Football Forum announces July 2016 date in Paris
December 10 – The World Football Forum conference will hold its 2016 event on July 7-8 in Paris, France. The past two years the event has been held in Moscow, Russia, with strong Russian themes.
Cayman FA ejects Webb and battles with government over funds
By Andrew Warshaw
December 10 – Former FIFA vice-president Jeffrey Webb, the official who swept to prominence promising to clean up the organisation but fooled all those who viewed him as the new white knight of transparency and tolerance, has been formally ousted from running football in his native Cayman Islands.
US round-up begins with El Salvador to hand over Vasquez, Mesnier hands himself in
December 10 – El Salvador’s Supreme Court has approved the extradition of the country’s former football federation president Reynaldo Vasquez (pictured), one of those wanted in the United States in connection with the widespread racketeering and bribery scandal.
Want a playing career? Then make sure you are born in first three months of the year
By Mark Baber
December 9 – The latest monthly report produced by the CIES looks at the issue of birth date bias finding that “players born in the first months of the year are strongly over-represented” in 30 top divisions in Europe – the exception being England where the bias is towards the period September- December as the age classes are based on September 1 rather than January 1.
Three strikes and they’re out. No new CONCACAF boss till May
By Andrew Warshaw
December 9 – Having lost three presidents in quick succession as a result of the FIFA corruption scandal, CONCACAF is not taking the same risk again and has decided against putting someone else in place until its next congress in May.
Platini waits on CAS ruling with Euros draw looming
By Andrew Warshaw
December 8 – The imminent judgement by the Court of Arbitration for Sport into Michel Platini’s suspension will determine whether or not the UEFA president can take centre stage at Saturday’s Euro 2016 draw in Paris.
MLS makes All-Star game mandatory for stay-away ‘injured’ players
By Ben Nicholson
December 8 – The MLS Board of Governors made multiple announcements over the weekend looking forward to the 2016 season, in addition to signalling intent to expand to 28 teams and rubber stamping David Beckham’s location of choice for his expansion franchise’s stadium.
Brazil pushes itself forward as football technology test-bed
By Samindra Kunti
December 9 – The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) wants Brazilian football to become a laboratory for the use of new technologies in the game. Fernando Sarney, who has filled Marco Polo del Nero’s position on FIFA’s executive committee, will seek support from FIFA in the next months to implement CBF’s vision.
Greek players show solidarity with strike over unpaid compensation
December 9 – Greek footballers are to go on strike indefinitely from next week in protest over a compensation deal they claim their employers have failed to meet.
Brazilian players protest as del Nero prepares his defence
December 8 – Marco Polo del Nero, embattled president of the Brazilian football federation, has begun his leave of absence to prepare his defense against wide-ranging corruption charges.
‘Selfie King’ Chiyangwa wins Zimbabwe FA presidency
By Mark Baber
December 8 – Bentley-driving, self-proclaimed ‘selfie-King’, multi-millionaire businessman Phillip Chiyangwa has been elected as the new President of the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) after a campaign in which he promised to solve the body’s financial woes.
MLS gets good report card leading way in gender diversity but not so strong on race
By Ben Nicholson
December 8 – Major League Soccer (MLS) has had a glowing report card sent home in respect to its progress in gender diversity. The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport delivered the league a solid B for gender diversity, which is a two-footed leap from 2014 when the league was brandished with a must-improve C+.
Amsterdam ArenA calls for innovators to help create the stadium of the future
December 8 – The Amsterdam ArenA is calling for ground breaking “creative thinkers and innovative entrepreneurs” to help the company create the stadium of the future as part of the revamp of the country’s main stadium.