Inside World Football - Page 1061 of 2103 - For the Business of Football

FIFA lobbies new friends at PACE to kill Brasseur report but are slaughtered by the vote

By Tim Rohn and Andrew Warshaw

January 26 – The growing sense of unease pervading FIFA under the regime of Gianni Infantino has been exposed by a blatant attempt to undermine a scathing report into the organisation’s record on governance by the Council of Europe. FIFA’s lobbying fell on deaf ears as the council overwhelming voted in favour of adopting the report with 131 votes in favour and just five against.

Premier League

West Ham top table in a stunning week for Premier League attendance

January 26 – Every club in the Premier League recorded more than 96% of their stadia full for Round 24 of the Premier League season, a record attendance capacity for the league as a whole for the past two season.

Qatar 2022

Qatar 2022: Creating a magic carpet

By Anthony Harwood

January 26 – Another World Cup, another flurry of complaints about the poor condition of some pitches that teams will have to play on.

Football Marketing

Enfield Town take moral high ground and vote to turn down betting.net sponsor cash

By Andrew Warshaw

January 26 – A part-time English team is going where bigger clubs fear to tread by taking a stand against betting sponsorship, partly because of the scourge of match-fixing pervading the sport.

Russia 2018

St Petersburg plans huge 2018 police presence as FIFA reports ticket requests hit 4m

By Samindra Kunti

January 26 – Saint Petersburg will carry out a massive 11,000 police officers strong law enforcement operation during the 2018 World Cup when the city will host six matches, including one semi-final, to ensure the safety and security of travelling fans. To date supporters from around the world have requested more than 4 million tickets during the second sales window of World Cup tickets.

Integrity

Bayern defend Qatar links after HRW criticism

January 26 – Bayern Munich, chasing their sixth consecutive Bundesliga title, has defended sponsorship and training links with Qatar after criticism from Wenzel Michalski, the director of Human Rights Watch Germany.

Africa

CHAN enters knockout stages with Morocco leading the way

January 26 – Angola and Congo-Brazzaville booked the last spots for the quarterfinals of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) as the tournament’s knockout stages begin this weekend.

Integrity

Man City push for parity with ‘Same City, Same Passion’ campaign

January 26 – Manchester City have made a significant step towards raising the profile of the women’s game and recognising greater gender parity with the launch of a media campaign titled Same City, Same Passion.

Performance

Mourinho extends his Man Utd ‘privileges’ until 2020

January 26 – Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has signed a contract extension until 2020, with the option of a further year.

World Cup 2026 bids

Morocco say FIFA’s stadium criteria will not be an issue in 2026 World Cup bid

January 25 – The head of Morocco’s 2026 World Cup campaign has re-iterated that the country will be able to meet all FIFA’s requirements, not least when it comes to infrastructure.

Law

Marin and Napout legal teams call for retrial over Burzaco ‘lies’

January 25 – Former South American powerbrokers Jose Maria Marin and Juan Angel Napout, both awaiting sentence in the United States having been found guilty in the FIFAGate corruption trials, are still fighting their corner demanding to be acquitted or face a retrial.

Russia 2018

Party poopers. Russia ready to shut down noisy Ukrainian troublemakers

January 25 – A report by Russia’s state-run newspaper Pravda has accused neighbours Ukraine of trying to disrupt next summer’s World Cup.

Concacaf

Beckham’s MLS franchise in Miami looks set for formal unveiling

January 25 – After almost four years in the making, David Beckham’s dream of heading a new MLS team has moved a crucial step closer to reality.

Football Marketing

‘Leeds Salute’ club crest redesign fails to pass muster as fans up in arms

January 25 – Iconic English club Leeds United, pushing for a return to the Premier League, have got themselves into hot water over a new club crest unveiled ahead of their centenary in 2019.