It has been a long journey to Old Trafford. Bastian Schweinsteiger, as an impetuous youngster, made his Bundesliga debut in late 2002 and quickly became a beacon of hope for the team – at Bayern and in the German national set-up.
By Ricardo Setyon
July 16 – Lucas Piazon, Chelsea’s generally on-loan striker, who signed for the London club for €7.5 million in 2011 but has yet to secure a squad place, is unhappy and letting his feelings be known at the Pan-American games that have just opened in Canada.
By Alexander Krassimirov
July 15 – The new owners of Bulgaria’s Levski Sofia have taken emergency measures to financially stabilize the club, imposing a wage limit on players in advance of the new season.
By Mark Baber
July 15 – Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has launched an investigation into the accounts of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF).
By Paul Nicholson
July 15 – Russian focus on preparing a competitive team for the 2018 World Cup has intensified following the departure of Fabio Capello after a string of poor results, with a search for a new – Russian national – coach underway. The federation is also on the hunt for a new president with Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko emerging as frontrunner to return to a post he has held before.
By Mark Baber
July 15 – Brazilian footballing legend turned politician Romario (pictured), who came to power on a platform of defending the rights of people with disabilities, has been appointed president of the Congressional Committee investigating corruption in the wake of the arrest of former Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) president Jose Maria Marin.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 15 – Controversial FIFA vice-president Angel Maria Villar (pictured) is poised to stand for a remarkable eighth term of office as head of Spanish football despite being widely reported as being under investigation by FIFA. If re-elected the new term would take him through 30 years as the head of the Spanish federation.
By Ricardo Setyon
July 15 – With the Brazilian National League now a quarter way into its season, two clubs and one man have surprised everyone. Recife from the north east of the country, and Ponta Prete from Campinas, 120km from Sao Paulo, are upsetting the accepted club hierarchy with a series of unexpected results.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 15 – Has player power got out of hand and is he worth the money? Those were the two main questions being debated in football circles after Raheem Sterling became the most expensive English player of all time by signing for Manchester City from Liverpool.
“What one can see out in the sunlight is always less interesting than what goes on behind a windowpane. In that black or luminous square life lives, life dreams, life suffers.” Charles Baudelaire
There is something visceral, something deeply emotional, about the transfer window. For fans of clubs who are apt to sell their best players, it stirs deep pangs of jealousy at the threat of a love lost to a more potent rival.
By Paul Nicholson
July 15 – The Spanish TV market is hotting up as the country’s power clubs and La Liga push the Spanish brand harder in international broadcast markets. Global sports marketing agency IMG has picked up the sales and distribution rights to Barcelona’s TV channel in a three-year deal licensed to them by Spain’s telecommunications giant Telefónica.
July 14 – What’s in a name? Quite a lot when it comes to fans and their beloved football club.
By David Owen
July 14 – FIFPro, football’s international players’ union, is to provide financial support to Claudia Pechstein (pictured), a German speed skater, in a legal battle that could have profound consequences for the way international sport settles its disputes.
By Paul Nicholson
July 14 – Russian preparations for the 2018 World Cup may be progressing smoothly when it comes to building stadia and planning transport infrastructure, but dissatisfaction with the national team’s progress under coach Fabio Capello has resulted in his contract being terminated three years before the finals.
By Paul Nicholson
July 14 – While Liverpool’s players visited Bangkok’s Grand Palace on the first leg of their pre-season tour, bonded with their new teammates and doubtless pondered the departure of £49 million Raheem Sterling, back home the Anfield Stadium was taking delivery of two of the UK’s largest cranes and a 650 tonne roof truss.