By Andrew Warshaw
May 20 – Sepp Blatter remains optimistic, after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that he can find a solution to the Palestinian bid to ban Israel from world football that threatens to overshadow his re-election bid at next week’s FIFA Congress in Zurich.
By David Owen
May 19 – Hamburg, a confirmed runner in the race for the 2024 Olympics, may be about to suffer an immense blow to its sporting prestige. With just one game to go, the city’s premier football club – Hamburger Sport-Verein – is in serious peril of relegation from Germany’s Bundesliga for the first time in its history.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 19 – With a raft of clubs struggling to comply, UEFA have agreed to relax the rules on financial fair play that were introduced in 2011 to curb overspending, but which have led to the widely anticipated threat of legal challenges.
May 19 – A Malaysian supporters group is calling for a boycott of two lucrative close-season games against Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, saying the fixtures are fruitless and serve no other purpose than to fill the coffers of the national federation.
By Samindra Kunti
May 19 – In the vicinity of the iconic Arc de Triomphe in Paris’s affluent eighth district, football fans milled about the entrance of the ritzy Hotel du Collectioneur under a slight drizzle late in March. They were looking to get a glimpse of Brazil’s football stars. Chelsea’s Oscar briefly sauntered through the plush lobby, a little casual in his flip-flops. Heads turned and outside pandemonium ensued.
May 18 – Argentine giants Boca Juniors have been thrown out of the Copa Libertadores, South America’s equivalent of the Champions League, after its fans sprayed players from rivals River Plate with an irritant substance during their last-16 tie last week.
By David Owen
May 18 – Top football clubs face a common problem: as their global brands become more powerful, their fan-bases become more remote and harder to engage with – and to monetise. Digital technology seems an obvious route to addressing this issue, and this week Real Madrid, which has been notably quick off the mark in the use of social media, will launch its latest initative for connecting with supporters worldwide.
May 18 – Six months after federation president Carlo Tavecchio was banned for his notorious “banana eaters” comments when referring to African footballers, Italian football has been plunged into fresh embarrassment with another less than savoury verbal faux pas.
By Mark Baber
May 18 – Cairo’s Court of Urgent Matters on Saturday reportedly declared football supporter’s “ultra” groups to be “terrorists” and banned them, in a ruling which came at the behest of Mourtada Mansour, chairman of the Zamalek club.
By Alexander Krassimirov
May 18 – Turkish international and current captain of Turkey’s Fenerbahce Emre Belozoglu (pictured) has been attacked by Besiktas supporters while traveling on a ferry.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 18 – As Sepp Blatter engages in a final piece of shuttle diplomacy in an attempt to stop Palestine officially calling for Israel’s suspension from world football, the Palestinians have sent their proposed resolution to all 208 other FIFA members to counter what they claim are “distorted” allegations regarding the reasons behind the proposal.
May 18 – Grenada has been named as hosts for the 2016 CONCACAF Women’s U17 Championship next March. The regional confederation has also announced the four US cities that will host the men’s Olympic qualifying tournament in October – Denver, Kansas City, Los Angeles and Salt Lake City.
By Mark Baber
May 15 – MP&Silva will reportedly not be stumping up more cash for the Kenyan Football Federation’s (FKF) attempt to set up a new Premier League in its own name, in a week in which the Kenya Premier League (KPL) moved to lay down the basic rules for player participation in the Kenyan national team games.
By Matt Scott
May 15 – Major Greek clubs are in open revolt over the corruption scandal that has put the owner of Olympiacos in the dock over allegations of extortion, bribery and arranging a bombing.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 15 – If the FIFA presidency was awarded to the candidate with the best human rights approval ratings, Michael van Praag would be looking forward to a single four-year term of office come May 29.