Celtic’s Tonev loses appeal against racism ban
December 17 – Celtic’s Bulgarian on-loan winger Aleksandar Tonev has lost his appeal against a seven-match ban for racially abusing an opponent.
Man Utd’s Herrera denies match-fixing at Zaragoza
December 17 – Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera has vehemently denied being involved in match-fixing after his name was one of those released by Spanish authorities investigating an alleged scandal that took place in La Liga four years ago involving 41 players and officials.
Whistleblowers’ confidentiality complaints fall on deaf ears
By Andrew Warshaw
December 17 – The two whistleblowers interviewed during Michael Garcia’s World Cup corruption probe have had their complaints that they were unfairly identified rejected by FIFA.
Garcia appeal ruled ‘not admissable’, Eckert’s summary was not a judgment
By Andrew Warshaw
December 17 – The timing could have not have been more apt. Just as their top brass gather in Morocco for what could prove a pivotal executive committee meeting, so FIFA’s appeals committee has made an attempt to close another chapter in the seemingly interminable 2018 and 2022 World Cup corruption probe.
$20.5bn World Cup spend becomes $9.1bn as value of Russian Ruble plummets
By Paul Nicholson
December 17 – Russia has swiftly dismissed any discussion that the crashing value of the Ruble could in turn lead to a withdrawal from hosting the 2018 FIFA World Cup on economic grounds.
2015 Gold Cup US venues unveiled, with a trip north into Canada
December 17 – Hosts USA, Costa Rica and Mexico have all been seeded for the three group stage of the 2015 Gold Cup which will be played across 13 North American cities, including crossing into Canada for the first time.
Exclusive: Europe’s clubs and leagues buddy up to propose 2022 World Cup solution
By Andrew Warshaw
December 16 – Europe’s clubs and leagues have devised a last-ditch strategy for keeping the Qatar 2022 World Cup close to the tournament’s traditional summer time slot in order to avoid an unpredecented and controversial switch to winter.
Sky shares plummet as Premier League rights auction sparks investor fear
By Mark Baber
December 16 – The multi-billion pound auction for Premier League television rights, which kicked off on Friday, has led to a 4.4% fall in the share price of Sky plc on Monday on fears the company could be outbid by BT on a number of packages, and predictions the total bill could be as high as £5 billion, An Ofcom investigation, initiated by Virgin, has added to the lack of stability in the market.
Three former English club giants hit with transfer embargo for breaking FFP
December 16 – Just a couple of weeks before the start of the mad scramble mid-season transfer window, three of English football’s most iconic clubs – Blackburn Rovers, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest – have been slapped with transfer embargoes for the rest of the season for breaching Financial Fair Play rules.
UEFA sanctions Croatia with stand closures after San Siro crowd trouble
December 16 – Croatia have been ordered to close a section of their ground for their next Euro 2016 home qualifier as punishment for racist behaviour and crowd trouble in last month’s fixture against group rivals Italy.
Spanish corruption police chase former Zaragoza stars over €1m cash match fix
By Andrew Warshaw
December 16 – Manchester United and Atletico Madrid have been rocked by the revelation that their respective midfield stars Ander Herrera (pictured) and Gabi are among more than 40 people named in an alleged match-fixing scandal that took place in Spanish football four years ago.
Breitner: Arrogance, aggression, or just the plain truth?
By Denis de Haas and Christian Paschwitz
December 16 – In an interview on German sports channel SPORT1’s Doppelpass Talk programme, former playing legend Paul Breitner who is now an advisor to the Bayern Munich board, said that the success of Bayern has much to do with the incompetence of their opponents. His comments have sparked rage and debate in Germany. Click on the video link to watch the excerpt from Doppelpass Talk.
Risen from the ashes, Somalia’s Jeenyo triumphs in Super Cup
By Paul Nicholson
December 16 – Somalian football took another major symbolic step forward this weekend with a Super Cup final that was packed with passion, historic significance, a penalty shootout, and hope for the future in front of a packed crowd at the recently refurbished Banadir Stadium in Mogadishu.
Gold Cup play off dates set as Pinto returns to light up the touchline
December 16 – Play-in series dates for the final 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup berth between French Guyana and Honduras have been set for March next year. The series will provide a fist test for new Honduran coach Jorge Luis Pinto who achieved fame in the Summer with his stewardship of Costa Rica at the world Cup.
Champions League into stride with tasty knockout draw
December 15 – Both of last season’s Spanish Champions League finalists have been drawn against German opposition in the first knockout stage of the competition in February.