By Andrew Warshaw
December 23 – Morocco’s refusal to stage next month’s Africa Cup of Nations is understood to have been behind Africa’s most prominent FIFA officials embarrassingly snubbing last Saturday’s Club World Cup final in Marrakesh. Several African members of FIFA’s executive committee were conspicuous by their absence at FIFA’s showpiece climax between Real Madrid and San Lorenzo.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 23 – The president of Sierra Leone’s football association has come out fighting against those she says are unlawfully plotting to force her out of office with an attempted coup.
December 23 – For the first time since the Port Said massacre in February 2012, when 74 Al Ahly fans were killed at a league match, the gates to club stadiums will be opened again to supporters for the second part of the Egyptian Premier League.
December 23 – Japan’s Football Association has sent a delegation to Spain to get more information about the match-fixing scandal that has embroiled national team coach Javier Aguirre.
December 23 – MLS expansion team newcomers, New York City FC and Orlando City SC, have secured official local television partners to showcase their inaugural seasons in the league.
By Mark Baber
December 22 – The UK Twitter account of The Bleacher Report was temporarily suspended by Twitter over the weekend after the Premier League complained the feed was sharing videos of Premier League action to which it did not own the rights.
By Alexander Krassimirov
December 22 – Bulgaria’s Ludogorets Razgrad will receive an additional BGN 1 million (€500,000) from the Razgrad Municipality to continue the renovation of its stadium, the Ludogorets Arena.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 22 – Israel and Palestine have been urged by FIFA to step up their efforts to allow for the free movement of Palestinian players and officials in the West Bank and Gaza.
December 22 – “Soccer-specific” stadiums seem to be spawning all across the US. In the last week D.C. United and Las Vegas both received financial backing from local councils to build their own respective stadiums.
By Samindra Kunti
December 22 – The president of RC Lens, Gervais Martel, has said that majority shareholder Hafiz Mammadov (pictured) from Azerbaijan may be replaced by another Azeri investor if Mammadov doesn’t meet his obligations before December 31.
December 22 – The Bahamas will become the first Caribbean nation to host a senior FIFA tournament when it welcomes the 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
December 19 – Daniel Kretinsky, the owner of Sparta Prague, has unveiled plans to modernise the Czech club’s stadium to boost its retail space and revenue. Under the proposal, the project would begin in the spring of 2016.
December 19 – The 10th edition of the ASEAN Football Championship, known as the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup, comes to its climax on Saturday as Malaysia meet Thailand in Kuala Lumpur in the second leg of the final, looking to overturn a 2-0 deficit from the first leg.
December 19 – Japan will stick with coach Javier Aguirre for next month’s Asian Cup in Australia, despite the Mexican being involved in Spain’s burgeoning match-fixing scandal.
By Mark Baber
December 19 – The Deutsche Fussball Liga (DFL) has given the go-ahead for SAP-founder Dietmar Hopp to take a majority stake in TSG 1899 Hoffenheim – the village club he brought from lower league obscurity to Bundesliga glory – with effect from 1 July 2015.