Sheiking things up: Salman poised to declare entry into FIFA presidential race

Salman4

By Andrew Warshaw
October 16 – The FIFA presidential race has taken another decisive twist with Asian football chief Sheik Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa staging a u-turn to stand to take over from Sepp Blatter in February. The Bahraini had originally given his backing to Michel Platini but has taken a timely strategic gamble to run himself following Platini’s suspension and the likelihood that Europe will have no other credible candidate who Asia could get behind.

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Saints and sinners: Mourinho penalised for penalty outburst

Mourinho outburst

October 15 – Chelsea’s outspoken Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho, increasingly under pressure after his team’s dismal start to the season by their own high standards, has been slapped with a suspended one-match stadium ban and fined £50,000 by the English Football Association for comments made about match officials.

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Matt Scott: Why the embers of past court battles could be fanned into a fire engulfing Blatter

“Il n’y a pas le feu au lac” – “The lake’s not on fire.” Swiss saying

If the famous Lake Geneva is not painting the sky with flames – and, quite obviously, it never has nor will – it’s said to be difficult to rouse a Swiss to any sense of urgency. Other French-speaking nations believe that in the land of the cuckoo clock and precision watches, time moves slowly.

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Man City joins Premier League profits party with £10.4m showing

MCFC

By David Owen
October 15 – Manchester City has emulated the bulk of its Premier League rivals by moving into profit – for the first time since the club’s takeover by Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan in 2008. The club from the blue side of Manchester reported a pre-tax profit of £10.4 million for the year to end-May 2015.

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