By Samindra Kunti
May 15 – The president of RC Lens Gervais Martel has insisted a new investor will inject €15 million in the much troubled club to keep Lens afloat in France’s second division Ligue 2 after majority shareholder Hafiz Mammadov defaulted.
May 15 – Despite the Spanish courts lifting the threat of an end-of-season La Liga strike over the imposition of a collective TV rights bargaining agreement, the unsavoury war of words between the various parties shows little sign of abating.
By Samindra Kunti
May 15 – Ajax Amsterdam failed to win the Dutch title this season, finishing second behind champions PSV, but the club wants to reestablish itself as Holland’s number one team through the construction of Ajax City, a state of the art training complex. At the same time the Amsterdam Arena may seek a stadium naming rights deal.
May 15 – After a season in which his club has been at the forefront of a series of racist incidents, the president of Torpedo Moscow, instead of apologising, has indulged in an outrageous piece of self-denial.
“Since Arsene Wenger arrived in north London, Arsenal are the only team Spurs have not finished above in the whole Football League.” Opta
It was 20 years ago, pretty much, that Arsène Wenger walked through the door at Arsenal. In two of the previous four seasons they had finished 10th and 12th in the Premier League. Located in a beloved but ageing arena hemmed in on all sides by houses preventing stadium expansion,
By Andrew Warshaw
May 14 – It isn’t every day that a club in the eighth tier of its country’s football pyramid makes national headlines. But such is the gross injustice meted out to tiny Enfield Town in England’s Ryman Premier League that the club received nationwide support in their fight to avoid being sanctioned by the English FA for no other reason than showing integrity and good governance.
By Mark Baber
May 14 – Another milestone in the downward spiral of Turkish football has been reached with a statement by the Turkey Football Federation that six Süper Lig clubs have failed to meet UEFA’s requirements to participate in European football in the 2015-2016 season.
May 14 – Former Birmingham City chairman Carson Yeung (pictured) has lost an appeal against a six-year Hong Kong jail sentence for money laundering. Yeung moved HK$720 million (£55 million) though his accounts between 2001 and 2007.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 14 – In a major snub to the country’s national federation and its long-time leader, FIFA vice-president Angel Maria Villar Llona, Spain’s national court today blocked a proposed strike that would have thrown the end of the La Liga season into chaos.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 14 – Four and half years after the vote to hand the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, one of FIFA’s former vice-presidents has been banned for a second time for his conduct in the build-up to the contest – this time for eight years.
By Alexander Krassimirov
May 14 – When it comes to money Bulgaria can be gloomy place for football with clubs desperate for cash, players often unpaid and sponsors in short supply. But this month the Bulgarians have had some good news with FIFA approving the country’s $1.1 million ‘Goal’ application to build a new training camp for the national team near Sofia.
By David Owen
May 14 – The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) has unveiled betting company Ladbrokes as its new title sponsor, in a two-year deal running from 2015 until 2017.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 13 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), whose leader insisted only two weeks ago was entering a new era of transparency and unity, has been plunged into fresh crisis after its number two official was suspended pending an internal investigation into reports he asked for incriminatory evidence against him to be removed.
By Mark Baber
May 13 – Recently retired Egyptian soccer legend Abu Treika [Aboutrika] has seen his appeal for the return of his assets, seized over alleged links to the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, turned down.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
May 13 – AS Roma is poised to sign a main sponsorship deal with Etihad Airways. Under the plan, the UAE-based airlines will pay the Italian side about €14 million per year as the club’s main sponsor, and a further €14 million per annum for the naming rights to its new stadium, Stadio della Roma.