By Andrew Warshaw
April 8 – Any concerns Sepp Blatter may have had that his solid support base in Africa could be in danger of waning as he bids for a fifth term of office have been swept away. As expected, African Football Confederation chief Issa Hayatou pledged his members’ total backing for Blatter at this week’s CAF Congress.
April 8 – The so-called ‘Watch-gate’ saga is back in the news again with FIFA announcing no action is being taken against English FA chairman Greg Dyke.
April 8 – English football fans are normally pretty restrained when it comes to protesting about the actions of those who run their clubs.
April 8 – New data from the CIES Football Observatory shows the dependence of Europe’s clubs from the Big 5 leagues of England, Germany, France, Spain and Italy on clubs outside their leagues to develop players.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 8 – Dubbed Russia’s most aggressive club, Torpedo Moscow have been found guilty of racism yet again, this time for displaying a Nazi symbol during Sunday’s 3-1 win at Arsenal Tula.
April 8 – CONCACAF continued with the development of their coaching courses, holding their first Goalkeeping course at the end of last month in St Kitts & Nevis.
April 8 – Roma have been ordered to close part of their stadium at their next home game after fans displayed banners mocking the mother of a Napoli fan who died following clashes between rival supporters last year.
By Mark Baber
April 7 – After weeks of delay, the Indonesia Super League (ISL) finally kicked off this weekend, but faces an uncertain future as the Professional Sports Agency of Indonesia (BOPI) warned that the PT Liga Indonesia could have its licence to operate the ISL revoked if it continues to ignore official recommendations.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
April 7 – Romanian billionaire Ioan Niculae (pictured), who owns top flight club Astra Giurgiu, has been sentenced to two years and six months in jail for his participation in the illegal financing of the presidential campaign of Mircea Geoana who ran for Romania’s top office in 2009. Niculae cannot appeal the decision.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 7 – After enduring a collective assault on his presidency by the three men bidding to unseat him, Sepp Blatter was doubtless feeling far more comfortable today as the election campaign switched from UEFA to the Confederation of African Football Congress (CAF).
April 7 – Turkey’s top division and domestic cup matches have been suspended for one week following a chilling and unprovoked gun attack on the Fenerbahce team bus at the weekend which left the driver seriously injured but the players unharmed.
August 6 – It has been a mixed Easter holiday for Scottish giants Rangers. The Championship side are battling a long period of boardroom instability and shareholder infighting, while at the same time being embroiled in a dogfight for a return to the Scottish Premier League – and what would be their third promotion in three seasons.
By David Owen
April 5 – UEFA, the European football body, generated revenue of €1.73 billion in its latest financial year to the end of June. The figure was marginally up on the prior year’s total of €1.7 billion.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 4 – In a stunning victory for a national association over its confederation, Morocco has won its appeal against being thrown out of the next two African Nations Cup tournaments. The sanction was imposed by the Confederation of African Football after Morocco refused to host this year’s event in January because of fears over the spread of the Ebola virus.
By Alexander Krassimirov
April 2 – Bulgaria’s Levski Sofia has thanked fans for their donations which helped the club clear its debts and cover the requirements for a European license. The club have urged fans to continue with their financial help.