By Andrew Warshaw
August 28 – The head of the Palestinian Football Association, Jibril Rajoub, has rejected his one-year ban by FIFA and says he will appeal against what his federation described as a sanction that was “disproportionate, absurd, and lacking in evidence.”
August 28 – In a remarkable display of respect, Genoa fans watched the first 43 minutes of their home match with Empoli in silence at the weekend in honour of the 43 victims of the motorway bridge collapse in the Italian city earlier this month.
August 28 – With the addition of Premier League Liverpool and the Bundesliga’s FC Schalke, and UEFA Supercup Champions, Atletico Madrid from LaLiga, tyre manufacturer Falken has taken to 21 the number of clubs it has secured official marketing partnerships with in Europe.
August 28 – With its football administration still in crisis, local media have reported Ghana has been stripped of the right to host this year’s African Women Cup of Nations (AWCON) by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). But CAF insists the media has jumped the gun and that no firm decision has yet been reached.
August 28 – Revered by Egyptian fans, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has revived a dispute with his native country’s FA, accusing them of ignoring complaints over an image rights issue.
August 28 – Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is poised to restart plans to renovate the club’s west London stadium, Stamford Bridge, though it seems increasingly likely he will not be the owner once the stadium rebuild is complete.
August 28 – Retired sprint legend Usain Bolt is set to make his footballing debut for Australian club side Central Coast Mariners saying he will be more nervous than during his illustrious track career when he won eight Olympic gold medals.
August 28 -The six candidates for the vacant African seat on the FIFA Council will undergo integrity checks by FIFA before their participation in next month’s poll is confirmed according to the BBC.
August 28 – Al Sadd took a major step towards the semi-finals of the 2018 AFC Champions League after two goals from Baghdad Bounedjah secured the Qatari side a 3-1 comeback win over Iran’s Esteghlal in the first leg of the competition’s quarter-finals on Monday.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 24 – In a hard-hitting ruling that could well enflame tension in the region but will be viewed by others as a logical move, FIFA has handed outspoken Palestinian FA leader Jibril Rajoub a one-year match ban and fined him 20,000 Swiss francs for inflammatory remarks made against Lionel Messi.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 24b – The idea of turning the FIFA presidency into a rotating arrangement on a Continental basis is being mooted in the higher echelons of global football administration according to a German publication.
August 24 – European football’s new Nations League competition will give national teams a boost when it gets under way next month since it will do away with meaningless friendlies, says UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin.
August 24 – Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger received a hero’s welcome when he arrived in Liberia to receive the country’s highest award from president George Weah – though not everyone apparently joined in quite so enthusiastically.
August 24 – First he was in, then he was out, he appealed, he lost, he appealed again. He played at the World Cup – but now he is out again.
August 24 – The Arena Corinthians, Sao Paulo’s main football stadium and venue for the opening of the 2014 World Cup, will not play host to Copa America matches in 2019. CONMEBOL, South America’s governing body, had envisaged the stadium as a host venue, but influential Corinthians president Andres Sanchez opposed the idea and got his way.