Marca gains package of La Liga action
By David Gold
October 10 – Spain’s Marca Television has gained a package of La Liga rights from the Mediapro agency which shares league rights with Canal+.
World Football
FA opens £105 million centre of excellence
By Andrew Warshaw
October 9 – After years of delays, postponements and foot-dragging, English football’s new £105 million ($170,000/€130,000) centre of excellence was finally opened today with the aim of revolutionising the game from grassroots to national level.
13 football venues shortlisted for England 2015 Rugby World Cup
By Tom Degun
October 10 – A total of 13 of the 17 venues that have been shortlisted for the England 2015 Rugby World Cup are football venues.
Zimbabwe misses out on FIFA match-fixing investigation grant
By Andrew Warshaw
October 9 – The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) has lost out on a grant to help fund match-fixing investigations after failing to meet a deadline set by FIFA.
Champagne calls for greater democracy within Blatter’s reform process
By Andrew Warshaw
October 8 – Jérôme Champagne, an influential former FIFA administrator says the reform process instigated by Sepp Blatter, while “starting to adapt to the 21st century”, fails to address the need for greater democracy within the organisation.
Venue changed for South Africa friendly in Poland for safety reasons
By Andrew Warshaw
October 8 – South Africa’s upcoming away friendly against Poland this Friday (October 12) has been switched to the capital after the original venue refused to allow the match to take place.
Hampden Park to close for one year for Glasgow 2014 preparations
By Tom Degun in Glasgow
October 7 – Hampden Park, Scotland’s national football stadium, will be closed for a year from November 2013 when the facility is converted into a temporary athletics venue for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Kosovan football President backtracks on UEFA criticism
By Andrew Warshaw
October 5 – The head of Kosovan football has backtracked over remarks he made criticising UEFA for ignoring his country’s credentials while allowing Gibraltar partial membership status.
Horace Reid quits JFF to become CONCACAF director
By Andrew Warshaw
October 5 – Horace Reid is leaving his post as general secretary of the Jamaican Football Federation (JFF) to join the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) as its new director of competitions.
St Etienne strike sponsorship deal with pet food chain Rapid Croq
By David Gold
October 5 – Ligue 1 outfit St Etienne has agreed a new two-year sponsorship deal with pet food and accessories chain Rapid Croq.
Juventus President Andrea Agnelli set to speak at Leaders in Sport Summit
By David Gold
October 5 – Juventus President Andrea Agnelli is among the last batch of big name speakers who will be participating in the Leaders in Sport Summit next week at Stamford Bridge, the home of Chelsea Football Club.
Blatter disappointed as match-fixing whistleblower Farina is left out in cold
By Andrew Warshaw
October 4 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter has expressed his disappointment that the Italian footballer made a FIFA ambassador for reporting match-fixing has not been able to find a job since.
Hyundai to continue as A-league partner until 2016
By David Gold
October 4 – Football Federation Australia (FFA) has announced that Hyundai will continue to sponsor the A-League until 2016.
Masiello receives suspended sentence after admitting to deliberate own goal
By Andrew Warshaw
October 4 – Italy’s match-fixing scandal has taken another embarrassing turn with former Bari defender Andrea Masiello being handed a 22-month suspended prison sentence after admitting scoring a deliberate own goal.
Kosovan football officials slam FIFA and UEFA as it continues to push for recognition
By Andrew Warshaw
October 3 – Kosovan football officials have reacted with dismay at FIFA’s continual foot-dragging over whether to let them play international matches – and at UEFA’s decision to ignore their case while giving Gibraltar partial status.