World Football Archives - Page 800 of 911

AFC presidency race heats up as candidates declared and Al Serkal calls for withdrawals

By Paul Nicholson and Andrew Warshaw
March 4 – One of the three west Asian candidates seeking to replace Mohamed bin Hammam and run football in the entire Continent until 2015 has urged his two rivals to step aside to avoid a potentially damaging split.

As the Asian Football Confederation announced a four-man race for the presidency on May 2, Yousuf al Serkel (pictured), of United Arab Emirates, said he is to ask the two other regional candidates bidding against him to stand down. Read more …

Africa

Federation bans Nigerian Lesbians from football activity

By Mark Baber
March 4 – Dilichukwu Onyedinma, chair of the Nigeria Women Football League and a member of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) executive committee, has reportedly announced after the Annual General Assembly on Thursday, that lesbianism is now officially banned from Nigerian football.

Archive

Auxerre on edge of financial cliff staring relegation in the face

March 4 – Former French club giant Auxerre, currently in Ligue 2, is under scrutiny by French football’s financial watchdog and has until the end of the season to recapitalise or face possible relegation.

Africa

CAF steps into Congo row as League sets up interim committee

By Osasu Obayiuwana in Lagos
March 3 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has warned DR Congo’s government to stop interfering in its domestic football or face severe sanctions.

Archive

Benfica TV picks up Premier League rights

March 1 – In a world first, a club TV channel has bought the broadcast rights to an international football league. Benfica TV has been awarded exclusive audio visual broadcast rights for all Barclays Premier League matches per season for from 2013/14 – 2015/16 in Portugal.

Archive

Exclusive: Prince Ali summons West Asian candidates to Jordan to explain themselves

By Andrew Warshaw, Chief Correspondent
March 1 – FIFA vice president Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein (pictured) has summoned three of the candidates hoping to run Asian football to a summit in Jordan next week to make sure they have a proper agenda and are not just playing politics.

Archive

Deals rumoured as Zhang pulls out of running for AFC presidency

By Andrew Warshaw, Chief Correspondent
March 1 – The race to lead Asian football into a new era of unity and stability has suffered a dramatic blow amid reports that China’s Zhang Jilong (pictured), who has been in charge on an temporary basis for almost two years, has decided not contest the presidential election in early May.

Archive

Rangers keep their history but previous owners hit with fines

March 1 – Beleaguered Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers will not be stripped of any of their league titles over alleged undisclosed payments to players during the club’s former guise. But the company that used to run the club have been fined £250,000 by a commission appointed by the Scottish Premier League.

Archive

Lebanese world cup matches were not fixed

By Andrew Warshaw
March 1 – The Asian Football Confederation, stung by non-stop allegations of match-fixing, says the latest episode affecting a number of Lebanese players did not involve any of that country’s World Cup fixtures.

Archive

Baku to host football World Military Cup

February 28 – Baku, Azerbaijan, is to host a 16-team World Military Cup, July 2-14, 2013. The agreement to host was signed between Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry and the International Military Sports Council (CISM) for the organization of the 1st CISM World Football Trophy 2013.

Archive

Barcelona in breach of FIFA child trafficking laws

By Mark Baber
February 27 – It appears Spanish giants FC Barcelona have breached FIFA regulations on the international transfer of players designed to stop child trafficking and exploitation.

Archive

UEFA crackdown puts Lazio behind closed doors, Fenerbahce too, but The Drog plays on

By Andrew Warshaw
February 28 – UEFA have run out of patience with Lazio and ordered the Italian club to play their next two home European games behind closed doors after their fans were found guilty of racist behaviour for the fourth time this season.

Archive

Russians earmark further $2.2 billion on the road to FIFA World Cup 2018

February 27 – A further 67.4 billion rubles ($2.2 billion) has been earmarked by the Russians in the new sports budget to spend on the infrastructure and preparations for hosting the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 and the FIFA World Cup 2018.

Archive

Uzbeks ban fans from chanting and facepainting

By Mark Baber
February 27 – The authorities in Uzbekistan have adopted new rules for fans behaviour in football matches which include an end to shouting and chants.

Africa

FIFA suspension forces Tanzanian government intervention

By Mark Baber
February 27 – In the wake of the Tanzanian government’s declaration that the 2012 Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) constitution was adopted in contravention of Tanzanian law, the TFF President, Leodegar Tenga (pictured), has called for an emergency Executive Committee meeting on Saturday in Dar es Salaam to discuss the way forward.