OM join Real Madrid on Snapchat social video-sharing platform
By Samindra Kunti
November 26 – French Ligue 1 side Olympique de Marseille have partnered with video messaging application Snapchat in a bid to up their social media presence.
Exclusive: Blatter is not above the rule of ethics, say ethics chiefs
By Andrew Warshaw
November 26 – Ethics officials have dismissed the suggestion that they do not have the power to remove Sepp Blatter from office – and reject claims that he has not yet received the report into their investigation against him.
Player development: Real and Barca lead Europe, Saints top Premier League
By Paul Nicholson
November 26 – Real Madrid Castilla top the table of clubs that have developed players under the age of 23 and are playing in one of Europe’s Big-5 leagues. Looking just at the English Premier League, Southampton have developed most players, followed by Aston Villa and Ajax in third spot.
Swansea top attendance table but Chelsea and Spurs show London pride
By Paul Nicholson
November 26 – Swansea topped the stadium capacity chart on the first weekend back after the international break, with Chelsea coming a close second and Spurs third.
Hong Kong back in FIFA hot water over China anthem booing
November 25 – Manchester City and its fans may have escaped UEFA sanction for their persistent booing of the Champions League anthem before matches, but FIFA looks unlikely to so lenient with the Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) who are being investigated for a second booing incident against China.
Guangzhou Evergrande win AFC title but may get run over by Nissan legal action
By Mark Baber
November 25 – Nissan have said they were “extremely shocked” to see Guangzhou Evergrande ditch their branding with one minute’s notice prior to the AFC Champions League final last Saturday. Nissan’s logo would have normally been on the front of the club’s shirts in what is the premier club competition in Asia, football’s most populous region.
Champagne says he would move World Cup 2022 back to summer play
November 25 – FIFA presidential candidate Jerome Champagne says FIFA should consider moving the 2022 Qatar World Cup closer back to the tournament’s traditional summer slot.
Mutko says Russia 2018 World Cup security will be beefed up
November 25 – Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko says security will be tightened at the 2018 World Cup following the Paris massacre and the growing threat of terrorism generally.
UEFA hits Dynamo Kiev with fan ban and fine for racism
November 25 – Dynamo Kiev have been ordered to play their next two European home fixtures behind closed doors, with a third suspended, and fined €100,000 after their fans were found guilty of racist behaviour.
Blatter questions whether FIFA ethics has right to remove his as boss
By Andrew Warshaw
November 25 – Sepp Blatter claims FIFA’s ethics committee, which he himself set up, does not have the power to remove him as president.
Man Utd, Bayern, PSG, Barca and Real suck up the Euro cash leaving scraps for the poor
By Paul Nicholson
November 25 – The revenue gap between Europe’s big five leagues and the rest is getting bigger and within those leagues the big five teams in each league are getting even bigger at the expense of their domestic rivals. Manchester United, with commercial income of about €226 million, generate or receive a massive 21% of the Premier League’s total.
Match-fixing overlord Dan Tan wins release from jail in Singapore
By Andrew Warshaw
November 25 – In what will doubtless be regarded by Interpol and anti-corruption watchdogs as a major setback in the global fight against match-fixing, Tan Seet Eng, otherwise known as Dan Tan, the suspected kingpin behind a string of cases that reportedly netted millions of dollars, is a free man after winning a Court of Appeal ruling in his native Singapore.
Premier League Saints on the march in the US with youth soccer
By Ben Nicholson
November 25 – Although Southampton FC has yet graced the US shores with any commercial pre-season campaign, the Saints are now preparing to expand across the Atlantic with its soccer philosophy. Chairman Ralph Krueger (pictured) revealed plans to take the club’s coaching initiative to the US, prospecting that it will reach over 100,000 players.
Euro 2016 fan zones will go ahead, say French organisers
November 25 – Euro 2016 organisers, mindful of heightened security following the Paris terrorist attacks, are hopeful of retaining traditional fan zones so that supporters will be allowed to watch matches on big screens in public areas.
Platini reported to be facing life ban
By Andrew Warshaw
November 24 – FIFA’s ethics committee has sensationally recommended that Michel Platini is banned for life and not for just a few years, according to reports, all but ruling him out of succeeding Sepp Blatter as president.