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.
December 19 – The on-going turmoil at Scottish giant Rangers has taken another ownership twist with board member Derek Llambias appointed at the club’s new chief executive.
By Alexander Krassimirov
December 19 – The owner of the Bulgaria’s Levski Sofia Todor Batkov (pictured) has announced that the club’s budget for next year will amount to BGN 8 million (€4 million), BGN 6 million of which will be spent on club salaries – players and officials.
December 19 – Players union FIFPro has taken the unusual step of advising its members not to agree contracts in Serbia as there is a high risk that they would not get paid their salaries. Their warning came out joints with the Serbian professional footballers association Nezavisnost (SPFN).
By Mark Baber
December 18 – Barrister Leo Iyke Igbokwe, one of the aggrieved losing candidates in the disputed September 30 elections which saw Amaju Pinnick win the Presidency of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), told journalists Tuesday that if FIFA did not annul the elections within three days, he would take the matter to court.
December 18 – Salaries of foreign players at Russian clubs have escalated dramatically as the Russian ruble has plummeted in exchange rate value. Players, with salaries generally negotiated in euros, are now putting almost 40% more on club wage bills.
December 18 – Equatorial Guinea’s former African women’s footballer of the year Genoveva Anonma has called for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations to be cancelled to avoid the Ebola virus spreading to her country.
December 17 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has called on Australia to beef up security for next month’s Asian Cup following this week’s fatal hostage siege in Sydney.
By Alexander Krassimirov
December 18 – Bulgarian police investigating the match-fixing scandal in the country have said that their focus is on matches from Bulgaria’s top division – A grupa.
By Mark Baber
December 17 – Members of Besiktas’ Carsi supporter group, Turkish opposition groups, human rights campaigners and rival supporters gathered outside an Istanbul court chanting “Stand against fascism” as 35 members of the ultra group went on trial for participating in the demonstrations against the redevelopment of Gezi Park, one of Istanbul’s last areas of greenery.