By Mark Baber
July 4 – FIFA have re-imposed its ban on Iraq hosting international friendlies following a surge in violence, including bombings aimed directly at players and fans. FIFA notified the Iraqi Football Association (IFA), citing over 2,500 deaths in violence from April through June and at least 123 people killed in the first three days of July.
July 4 – The growing desirability and influence of sports statistics has been underlined by the Perform digital media group agreeing to buy Opta Sports Data for over £40 million ($60 million). The deal is conditional on a successful £120m fundraising. Opta offers statistical information and player performance data from football leagues in Britain, Germany and the Netherlands to media clients and clubs themselves.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 4 – Controversial Fifa executive committee member Worawo Makudi (pictured) continues to cling to power as boss of Thai football despite growing demands for fresh presidential elections which he, so far, has refused to implement. Thailand avoided being thrown out of world football by FIFA last month after a tiny fourth-tier club agreed to withdrew a lawsuit that threatened to stop the Thai FA (FAT) from holding elections.
July 3 – Deutsche Bank have struck a one-year deal with Italian giants Internazionale to become one of the club’s leading sponsors in a partnership which will see the financial service provider become the club’s official bank.
By Mark Baber
July 3 – adidas is to Bayern, as the Oktoberfest is to Munich, whilst Nike are adidas’ main competitor in the global soccer apparel market, having consolidated that position with the sponsorship of the England, French and Brazilian national sides. So adidas officials were not amused when, at the official unveiling of his new adidas Bayern Munich shirt in Munich, Bayern’s new 37-million-euro man, Mario Götze wore a T-Shirt featuring a giant Nike Swoosh logo.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 3 – South Korea and Iran, whose recent spat made headlines throughout Asian football, have agreed to bury their differences and sign a symbolic sporting exchange agreement barely two weeks after a war of words ahead of and following their crucial 2014 World Cup qualifier which ended in ugly scenes of chaos when the Iranian players were pelted with bottles of water from the stands.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 4 – UEFA have given more details of their plans to introduce blood tests for players in their two main club competitions, first announced in May. Until now UEFA has only conducted blood tests at international tournaments – Euro 2008 and 2012 – but from this month the detection regime is to be extended to the Champions League and Europa League. Checks will be made during and out of competition and players may be asked at routine doping controls to give urine samples,
July 2 – Italian football yesterday paid an emotional tribute to Stefano Borgonovo, who died last Thursday after a battle against ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) aged 49. His funeral in his home town of Guissano was attended by representatives from across the sport including his closest friend from his days at Fiorentina, Roberto Baggio, but also Paolo Maldini, Arrigo Sacchi, Juventus CEO Marotta and many well-known faces who formed part of the cheerful striker’s all-too-short life.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 2 – FIFA and UEFA should share television revenues from their respective tournaments with footballers who most need financial help, according to international players union FIFPro board member Joaquim Evangelista. Evangelista, head of the Portuguese Professional Footballers Association, said he would urge fellow board members at this week’s FIFPro general assembly in the Netherlands to lobby football’s governing bodies to hand out more of their money to unions in countries where players are struggling.
By Mark Baber
July 1 – The Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) is in chaos and faces potential suspension from FIFA following the annulling by a judicial authority of Iya Mohammed’s overwhelming re-election as President.
By Mark Baber
July 1 – In a major blow to Doncaster Belles and their supporters, the club has lost its appeal to retain its place in the re-structured English Women’s Super League. The FA has re-assigned clubs to leagues according to various license criteria, rather than performance on the sporting field.
July 1 – Between nine and 15 people have been killed in a bomb blast while watching and playing football in Baghdad, the latest in a series of attacks targeting Iraqis either competing or watching and prompting a plea by Asian football authorities to beef up security in the region.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 1 – Fifteen CSKA fans have been detained after an attack on the headquarters of the Bulgarian FA in protest at the debt-ridden club facing the prospect of being plunged into obscurity. CSKA will play in the amateur championship next season if they fail to merge with another first division club in time for the start of the Bulgarian league on July 20.
By Andrew Warshaw
June 28 – Players who are approached to fix matches or who suspect games are being rigged will be able to push a ‘panic button’ on their mobile phones to report their suspicions. The plan has been devised with European funding so that footballers across the continent can download an anti-match-fixing app to their phones and will be given a password to blow the whistle on fellow professionals via a red button.
By Andrew Warshaw
June 28 – Turkish Cypriot football officials believe their landmark talks with the Greek side aimed at unifying football on the politically divided island should move a vital step forward by the end of August. That’s when both bodies hope to have secured enough common ground to finally request FIFA to meet them after months of tortuous negotiations over a draft agreement.