Barca official Twitter accounts hacked by Syrian Electronic Army
By Jamie Styles
February 19 – Barcelona’s three official Twitter profiles were hacked on Tuesday, just hours after their 2-0 win over Manchester City in the Champions League.
World Football
Rosell cleared of liability in Brazil over marketing of Seleção friendlies
February 19 – Sandro Rosell, who dramatically quit as Barcelona president partly over an investigation into last year’s signing of star Brazilian forward Neymar, is reportedly no longer facing unconnected allegations that he benefitted illegally from a friendly match involving the Brazilian national team.
Call for cash as Hearts moves towards fan ownership
February 19 – Fans of embattled Scottish Premier League club Heart of Midlothian are being asked to contribute financially for a further two years as the club transitions out of insolvency towards fan ownership and, hopefully, stability.
Czech businessman acquires majority stake in Banik Ostrava
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
February 18 – Petr Safarcik has become the majority shareholder of FC Banik Ostrava, the Czech football club said in a statement. With the acquisition of shares from local businessman Libor Adamek, Safarcik controls a combined 95% of the shares in Banik through his company PAM Market and as a private investor. The amount of the deal was not disclosed by the two businessmen.
Kosovo invites Man Utd’s Januzaj to participate in making of history
By Andrew Warshaw
February 18 – Kosovan footballing authorities are hoping to persuade Manchester United’s rising teenage star Adnan Januzaj to play in their symbolic first ever meaningful international friendly.
Bulgarian police act on new match-fixing reports
February 18 – Bulgaria has again been hit by match-fixing, with police launching an investigation into claims that fixers attempted to rig the result of a domestic league match earlier this season.
Shot Palestinian youth footballers told they will never play again
By Paul Nicholson
February 18 – The tensions and distrust between the Israelis and the Palestinians regarding the negotiation of freedom of movement for Palestinian footballers, have been sharpened with the news that the two young Palestinian footballers shot by Israeli security forces in the West Bank are unlikely to play again.
Herzog spearheads the European front of a US Soccer revolution
By Paul Nicholson
February 17 – The US men’s national team may face the ‘group of death’ in Brazil at the World Cup finals – Germany, Portugal and Ghana are their opponents – but it is very much alive and kicking as preparations for the Finals start to take shape with one eye also firmly fixed on the future.
Gazprom still in the frame at Levski as supporters launch trust
By Alexander Krassimirov
February 17 – Levski Sofia owner Todor Batkov (pictured) says that the Russian energy giant Gazprom is still an option for the main sponsorship of the club. The Russian company has frequently been named in connection with the Bulgarian cub for almost for two years, but there has been no firm developments to date.
Moldovan match-fixer targeting U17 women gets life ban
February 17 – A Moldovan sports official has been banned for life for trying to bribe the coach of the country’s women’s under-17 team to fix an international match.
Legia Warsaw eyes legal fireworks display to beat ban and sanctions
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
February 14 – After being hit by several heavy fines for its fans’ behaviour at home and away matches last year, Legia Warsaw has announced plans to organise the first legal fireworks display at its stadium. Legia’s management aims to overcome the fireworks ban which has led to sanctions and subsequent financial losses for numerous Polish football clubs.
The end of the line or the start of a proper football journey?
By Paul Nicholson
February 14 – “Barrow’s Holker Street ground is no more. It is now the Furness Building Society Stadium, Wilkie Road. But on emerging through the turnstiles on to the terraces, it is difficult to see what substantive changes the Furness Building Society have actually made, beyond financing a new mundane rectangular administrative block at one end of the ground, from which the teams later came out,” writes Steve Leach,
Palestinians to demand FIFA expels Israel and say they have support
February 14 – Jibril Rajoub, chairman of the Palestinian Football Association, has said they will seek the expulsion of Israel from FIFA at the next FIFA Congress, and that he has the support of other Arab and North African nations.
Monaco fury as club rivals turn to law over their €50m LFP deal
By Andrew Warshaw
February 14 – The bitter row over Monaco’s special tax status in French football has intensified after seven other top-flight teams, including arch-rivals Paris St. Germain, threatened to take legal action, leaving the principality club “astounded”.
Zwanziger promises no ‘blind eye’ as EU hearing turns up heat on Qatar
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
February 13 – One of FIFA’s most influential administrators today stepped up the pressure on Qatar to comply with international employment standards as the 2022 World Cup hosts came under fierce scrutiny at the European Parliament.