By Paul Nicholson
January 7 – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in the US has appointed Jeff Plush as its new Commissioner. Plush has a background in soccer having been managing director of Colorado Rapids in the MLS from 2006 to 2011 and a board director of English Premier League club Arsenal with specific overview of the global media business.
January 6 – With the January transfer window starting to warm-up the player market, the CIES Football Observatory has released its latest ranking of the 120 big-5 league players with the highest transfer values.
January 6 – An A-League clash between Perth Glory and Adelaide United, which reportedly left a number of players suffering the symptoms of heat stroke, has reignited the debate over the temperatures it should be considered acceptable for matches to be played and whether player welfare is being sacrificed in the interests of television.
By Mark Baber
January 6 – On the eve of Palestine’s participation in the Asian Cup finals, a FIFA delegation arrived in Gaza on Monday to witness at first hand the long struggle of Palestinians to realise their right to play football, in the face of the conflicts with Israel and the bombing of playing fields and stadiums.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
January 6 – German football clubs VfB Stuttgart and Hannover 96 have extended their technical sponsorship deals with sports apparel makers Puma and Jako, respectively.
January 6 – The off-the-field crisis at Barcelona has deepened with the news that the Catalan giants have sacked Andoni Zubizarreta (pictured) as director of football.
A courageous and defiant move by FIFA’s most principled young reformer or a foolhardy risk that could backfire? Reaction to Prince Ali’s overnight announcement that he has decided to take on Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency looks certain to move into overdrive in the coming days.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 6 – After months of speculation, Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan has announced he will stand against Sepp Blatter for the presidency of FIFA in May, bringing to three the number of candidates vying for the top job in world football. His likely challenge was first revealed by Insideworldfootball last October.
By Alexander Krassimirov
January 6 – One of the largest shareholders in Bulgaria’s CSKA Sofia, Petar Mandjukov (pictured), has called for aggressive cuts in player wages, but the introduction of a bigger bonus system if the club qualifies for European competition.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 5 – The FIFA presidential election may not be until May 29 but as 2015 gets into its stride, Insideworldfootball identifies a number of key dates over the first quarter of the year that could shape the direction of football politics.
By Mark Baber
January 5 – The request of Leo Iyke Igbokwe for an arbitration committee to be set up to examine the validity of the September 30 Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) elections is expected to be presented to the NFF Board on January 8, offering another chance for football in Nigeria to bring the current leadership crisis to an end, without the involvement of civil courts.
There was a time, when Beckham’s Miami project was first gathering pace and New York and Manchester City first joined forces, that I suggested in this column a crucial period for club football was emerging in the States. Or more accurately franchise football.
But three thirtysomethings from over the Atlantic indicate things haven’t actually changed that much from the 70s. The idea back then was to hire legends like Pele, Beckenbauer and Moore to sprinkle their stardust over the league.
January 5 – An English lower-league club is under pressure not to offer a convicted rapist a contract as debate over whether he should be given a chance to resume his footballing career after serving a jail sentence intensifies.
January 5 – Former England captain Steven Gerrard says his decision to leave Liverpool and become the latest footballing icon to further his career in the United States was the toughest decision of his life.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 5 – Preparations for this week’s Asian Cup in Australia, the continent’s flagship competition, have been plunged into controversy after a warm-up game between two of the finalists was called off just moments before kickoff.