Chinese company comes to the rescue of Brazil’s Santos
By Mark Baber
October 30 – Santos have announced the signing of a major sponsorship deal with Chinese technology firm Huawei through to the end of 2014, with the option of an extension.
John Yan: CSL cliffhanger keeps us hanging on 中超”第一悬念”
In the second to last round of the 2014 CSL season, Beijing Guoan FC went to Guangzhou to play defending champions Evergrande, Before the match, Beijing had 63 points, Guangzhou 69 points. A draw would secure the fourth consecutive title for Guangzhou.
Russia 2018 launches logo with help from cosmonauts, tv and the Bolshoi
October 29 – The official launch of the 2018 FIFA World Cup logo took place last night in Russia at a televised ceremony that enlisted the help of an international space station crew and saw the emblem projected on to the historic Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.
Picking over the bones of Brazil 2014 costs and Brazilian motivation
October 29 – A senior FIFA figure has questioned Brazil’s reasons for staging this year’s World Cup, suggesting legacy and social change was a less important factor than trying to win a sixth world crown.
AFC U19 win marks a victory for Aspire and a football hungry nation
By Paul Nicholson
October 29 – When the Qatari national U19 team stepped off their plane to a red carpet and heroes’ welcome it marked a new level of football achievement for the Gulf state that is reinventing itself through sport. It also marked another step on the development path set by the Aspire Academy.
UEFA cuts CSKA fan ban but warns it is still watching
October 29 – UEFA has reduced on appeal CSKA Moscow’s stadium ban imposed for serious fan trouble at their Champions League match at Roma – but any further outbreaks over the next five years and UEFA will almost certainly come down even harder on the club.
Matt Scott: English football’s vanity project has run its course
What defines a nation’s football status? Is it the senior-international trophies it has historically won? The depth of its leagues? Its grassroots participation? The quality of its top division, perhaps? Or is it the quality of its national stadium?
FIFA orders Nigeria to withdraw court case or face seven-month ban
By Mark Baber
October 28 – Secretary General of FIFA, Jerome Valcke, has written to Amaju Pinnick, one of the two men claiming to be head of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), to say that unless a court case seeking to annul the disputed September 30 NFF elections is withdrawn Nigeria will be suspended.
Morocco continue Club World Cup planning, but AFCON still in limbo
By Andrew Warshaw
October 29 – Preparations for the Club World Cup in Morocco in December are continuing “as planned” even though the country has asked to be replaced as host for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) the following month due to fears over the spread of the Ebola epidemic.
Poland’s I Liga pushes for stadium upgrades to secure new TV rights deal
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
October 29 – Poland’s I Liga, the second tier of the country’s professional football league, is pushing local clubs to upgrade their stadiums with the aim of securing a new broadcasting rights deal. Starting in the 2015/2016 season, the sides will be required to install lighting at their sports facilities to enable evening matches.
Putin promises effective, not excessive, 2018 security
October 29 – Russian President Vladimir Putin, under continual pressure from critics to allow everyone at the 2018 World Cup to move and act freely, says measures will be “effective but not intrusive”.
Blatter says Russia 2018 is well advanced and boycott would be pointless
By Andrew Warshaw
October 29 – Sepp Blatter has re-iterated his view that boycotting the 2018 World Cup in Russia will serve no legimitate purpose but has revealed for the first time that if they qualify Ukraine will not be placed in the same group as the hosts unless relationships between the two neighbours improve.
Chivas USA folds as MLS revamps and sells to new franchise owners
By Ben Nicholson
October 29 – Chivas USA, of the MLS, has officially ceased operations. The MLS will unveil in a press conference today the new ownership group who will take over the club from the MLS.
David Owen: Parlons Platini – a quiet chat that offers insight
The question and answer format is much resorted to in France. To one more versed in the “cut-to-the-chase” school of Anglo-American journalism, however, it can come across as woolly, evasive and self-indulgent.
By relating a conversation word for word as it happened, or purporting to, the convention both implies that every cough and splutter uttered by the protagonists is worthy of the reader’s attention and largely abdicates the editing function.
Inside Insight: That Ramadan Thing
So, the ECA came up with a brilliant suggestion: the 2022 World Cup should be held in May of that year. Because in May it ain’t that hot yet, they say … A good idea on the face of it.