By David Owen
April 10 – Brazil, Argentina, Japan and Mexico, the defending champions, will be the top four seeds in this week’s draw for the men’s Olympic football tournament. Their counterparts in the women’s competition will be Brazil, the United States and Germany.
When Germany’s Süddeutsche Zeitung received a message in spring 2015 that it would be receiving access to – as they say – some 11 million documents hacked out of Panamanian Law Firm Mossack Fonseca, the excitement was tremendous. One of Germany’s leading dailies was an odd target for whoever stole the documents from the large law firm in Panama, a solid US protectorate. The apparent logic was quickly established, considering that Mossack is a German national who chose to seek greener pastures in a land whose president had been kidnapped by the USA,
“Politics, these days, is no occupation for an educated man, a man of character. Ignorance and total lousiness are better.” Aristophanes, The Knights
There was of course no football 2,400 years ago when Aristophanes was writing his plays, and still less a FIFA or UEFA. But were the Old Comedian to be as popular a satirist now as he was then, he might be expected to use the same words to describe the people who have been governing our game for us as he used to describe the polis of ancient Athens.
By Paul Nicholson
April 8 – Speculation is mounting over who will have the sponsor position on the front of Barcelona’s shirt – probably the most valuable football sponsor position in world football – once the Qatar Airways deal ends at the end of June.
By David Owen
April 8 – West Bromwich Albion, the Midlands football club now assured of at least one more season of English top-tier football, remained in the black while suffering a near halving of profits in the year to 30 June 2015.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 8 – Asian football leaders are becoming increasingly concerned over individual member federations being suspended by FIFA because of government interference in their affairs, a trend they warn is seriously hindering development in the region.
By Samindra Kunti
April 8 – In the past year Dutch football agents and intermediaries pocketed €9.5 million from professional clubs for their transfer and player contract services, according to the Dutch FA, the KNVB.
April 8 – A British businessman who was managing director of iconic English club Leeds United has alleged he was mistreated and physically abused whilst detained in Dubai for almost two years.
April 8 – News from the Chinese football market is generally about big money acquisition of football assets outside the country, or the import of what look like very expensive international players. But there are signs that the domestic football marketing opportunity is not being lost with Super League clubs who are usually owned by one funding sponsor or business conglomerate.
April 8 – Eugenio Figueredo, the former FIFA vice-president not only indicted in the United States as part of the FifaGate scandal but who has also become embroiled in the Panama Papers debacle, has undergone emergency prostate surgery at home in Uruguay.
By Matt Scott
April 7 – Greek government officials ordering the Hellenic Football Federation to reform over corruption and crowd trouble have issued a defiant statement in response to FIFA’s threat to ban Greece from international competitions.
By David Owen
April 7 – Newcastle United may have lost their mojo on the pitch, but they remain one of the Premier League’s most consistent financial performers. The club from England’s football-mad north-east, which has turned to Rafa Benitez in an attempt to salvage its top-tier status, has posted a sharply increased after-tax profit of £32.4 million – up from £18.7 million in the year to 30 June 2014.
April 7 – Colombian match agent Miguel Trujillo is the latest official to have formal proceedings opened against him by FIFA’s ethics watchdog after pleading guilty last month in the United States to four counts of wrongdoing, including conspiracy to commit money-laundering and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 7 – A member of the FIFA body responsible for rooting out corruption has himself resigned after being placed under investigation over his offshore business dealings exposed in the Panama Papers tax haven leak, heaping damage on the accountability and credibility at the heart of football’s world governing just when it is trying to restore its battered reputation.
April 7 – Manchester City has signed automotive component group Astra Otoparts as an Official Regional Partner of the Club.