Homeless World Cup set for Glasgow kick-off, and signs up Olso for 2017
July 6 – The Homeless World Cup kicks off this Sunday in Glasgow, Scotland, with 52 teams and 500 players competing in mens and womens competitions. It concludes July 16.
Valcke and Chung have bans reduced by FIFA appeals committee
By Andrew Warshaw
July 6 – FIFA’s appeals committee has cut the suspension of former secretary general Jerome Valcke (pictured) from 12 years to 10 and reduced Asian football powerbroker Chung Mong-joon’s ban from six years to five, though both moves represent only partial success for the two senior officials who served under the Sepp Blatter regime and were determined to clear their names.
Wenger warns Brexit could hurt Premier League’s money mountain
July 6 – Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he was “shocked” by the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union and that it could have a serious negative effect on the Premier League in the long term.
Euros semi-final preview: Wales vs Portugal
July 6 – Their motto is Stronger Together and it has worked a treat so far. Can Wales, the smallest country population-wise ever to get this far, now carry on living the dream when they face Portugal in the Euro 2016 semi-finals tonight?
Real Madrid to appeal €18.4m EC fine saying they are the financially injured party
July 6 – Real Madrid say they will appeal an European Commission ruling that they must reimburse €18.4 million to city authorities because they benefitted from unfair subsidies.
CONCACAF puts U15s title back into schedule with girls heading for Florida showdown
July 6 – CONCACAF has put its U15 national team championship back into the calendar and will hold the Girls edition August 9-21 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney in Orlando, Florida. Twenty three nations are entered.
Bundesliga and Premier League set Euro benchmarks for fans and stadia
July 6 – The Bundesliga and Premier League will continue to dominate the business of football with their big and modern stadia; France, thanks to new stadia for Euro 2016 are getting better but need to do more, Spain and Italy are off the pace.
More blood on the walls at FIFA as top bosses purge ethics collaborators
By Andrew Warshaw
July 5 – Two more senior personnel at FIFA have been shown the door in the latest purge by Gianni Infantino’s administration aimed at suppressing opposition to his increasingly shaky presidency.
EC fines Real and Barca for anti-competitive state aid. Who’s next?
By Andrew Warshaw
July 5 – In a ruling that will send alarm bells ringing across the Continent, seven Spanish clubs including Barcelona and Real Madrid have been ordered to repay millions of euros of unlawful subsidies after being found guilty of breaking EU state aid rules.
US Soccer launches girls 25-club academy system as pathway to pro game and US team
By Paul Nicholson
July 5 – The US Soccer Federation has officially announced a new 25-club Girls’ Development Academy that will start matches in the Autumn of 2017. The academy structure is “an initiative designed to accelerate the development of world-class female players” in the World Champion nation.
Sexwale emphasises dialogue as search for Palestinian solution stumbles
July 5 – FIFA’s attempt to patch up differences between Israel and Palestine, overshadowed by ongoing corruption and reform issues, has been stepped up with the latest visit by former presidential candidate Tokyo Sexwale who leads the Monitoring Committee to the region.
CIES releases new player transfer value tool
July 5 – How much is a player worth and will he do the job required are the perennial questions facing club owners and managers. There is no exact calculation that answers either of these questions for buyers, and no guarantee of value for money. A new player ratings tool might go some of the way to providing at least peace of mind to those splashing the cash.
Man City revamps web presence with new URL and mobile focus
July 5 – Manchester City have relaunched their website with a number of new features and at a new url, mancity.com. The new site is the result of a long consultancy process involving multiple rounds of focus groups, surveys, prototype designs, and user.
Pressure on Infantino intensifies as leaked memo catalogues multiple ethics breaches
By Andrew Warshaw
July 4 – Speculation that the net could be closing in on FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been intriguingly stepped up following the publication of an explosive leaked memo, seemingly on official FIFA letter-headed paper, that accuses Infantino of a series of ethics violations.
European police sign pact to share intelligence on football’s most violent
By Andrew Warshaw
July 4 – Fourteen countries have signed a potentially ground-breaking convention between the 47-member Council of Europe and UEFA designed to prevent any repetition of hooliganism at future European Championship finals.