By Mark Baber
August 13 – The Crimean clubs of TSK Simferopol, SKChF Sevastopol and Zhemchuzhina Yalta played their first games in the Russian Cup last night, triggering calls from Ukraine’s football federation to FIFA and UEFA to sanction the Russian Football Union (RFU) for bringing Crimean clubs into its league structure.
August 13 – Today UEFA will hear Legia Warsaw’s appeal against the 3-0 sanction that turned their 6-1 Champions League qualifying round win over Celtic into a 4-4 draw, and the Scots going through on away goals. The sanction sparked mass comment with multiple emotions unleashed. Legia fans bombarded Celtic, UEFA and anyone who would listen with requests and then demands that Celtic should withdraw.
By Paul Nicholson
August 13 – The debut of a team from Belize in the CONCACAF Champions League will have to wait for at least another season after confederation inspectors ruled that their pitch was unplayable. Belize Premier League champions Belmopan Bandits will be replaced in the competition by Costa Rica’s Club Sport Herediano.
August 13 – Details of Russia’s stadium build for the 2018 World Cup are starting to be released. The Saransk Arena has now had official planning approval while August will see completion of the Spartak Moscow stadium.
When it comes to the August 26 elections for the presidency and executive committee of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) – if they actually happen on that day – it is evident, to keen watchers of its politics, that the more things change, the more they remain the same. For the fourth successive NFF poll, since 2005, Africa’s most populous nation is caught in the whirlwind of chaos and anarchy that typically accompanies the battle for control of the game’s administrative levers,
August 12 – Betting operator 666Bet have added to its Premier League portfolio becoming a platinum partner of newly promoted Leicester City. 666Bet is already the betting partner at West Bromwich Albion and most recently added Leyton Orient, becoming shirt sponsor at the League One club.
By Paul Nicholson
August 12 – Russia’s prime minister Dmitry Medvedev has called for a close monitoring of the costs of building the infrastructure for the 2018 World Cup, following the financial plan that already exists. He also insisted that the preparations should be made to the highest standards and that the experience of hosting a successful Olympics has shown the way in this regard.
August 12 – Premier League club Sunderland and D.C. United from the MLS have announced a business partnership. Both clubs have agreed to promote one another in their respective markets, whilst sharing coaching and business expertise.
By Mark Baber
August 12 – Carlo Tavecchio has been elected as the new president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) despite having caused controversy with racist remarks during his election campaign and having spent 18 months in prison for offences including forgery, tax evasion, falsification of records and abuse of office.
By Mark Baber
August 12 – Togo have asked the Confederation of African Football to move their qualifying game against Guinea, scheduled for September 5 or 6 to a location outside of Guinea, due to fears over the Ebola virus.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
August 12 – Betting operator Synot, title sponsor of the top tier of the Czech football league, has opened talks with clubs to implement a programme aimed at increasing match attendances.
Allow me to pick up where I left off at the end of the World Cup with the big theme in world football – German football dominance. The world champions achieved arguably the most impressive World Cup win of all time. Beating the big two from South America to become the first European nation to lift the trophy on that football-crazy continent. Including that 7-1. And German club football is great too isn’t it. Well isn’t it?
August 12 – Hungary’s Ferencvaros took charge of their new stadium in Budapest this week, and inaugurated it with a friendly against English Premiership opposition Chelsea.
By Mark Baber
August 11 – FIFA president Sepp Blatter called upon his critics to take him on for FIFA’s presidency in next year’s elections. Though almost immediately followed this up by saying he was not officially announcing he would be a candidate, yet.
August 11 – Thailand’s Premier League has brought in betting fraud monitoring service Sportrader to track betting patterns and monitor any suspicious activity for the 2014 season.