Simeone has ban doubled after protesting over head-case incident
August 26 – Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has been handed an eight-match ban for his antics during the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup against rivals Real.
Broadcast rights row threatens Russian TV coverage of Euros
August 26 – A row has broken out with Russia over the cost of the TV rights to broadcast the EURO 2016 qualifiers and finals, forcing sports minister Vitaly Mutko to step in and seek a solution.
Italian FA says Tavecchio’s ‘banana-eater’ comments were OK, no racism case to answer
By Andrew Warshaw
August 26 – In a move that seems likely to cause considerable consternation, the Italian football federation (FIGC) has ruled that its new president Carlo Tavecchio has no case to answer over allegedly racist comments he made during the recent election campaign.
Algerian FA suspends all football following Ebosse death
By Andrew Warshaw
August 26 – The Algerian Football Federation (FAF) has postponed next weekend’s league fixtures following the death of Albert Ebosse, the 24-year-old Cameroon striker who was hit by a missile thrown from the crowd during a recent league game.
Valerenga set sights on €80m new stadium complex
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
August 26 – Municipal authorities in Oslo have approved a plan to build a new stadium for Valerenga. The new facility will allow the Norwegian side to move from Ullevaal, the country’s national stadium, where it currently plays its home matches.
FC Aktobe unveils new stadium as Kazakhstan aims to build its football base
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
August 25 – FC Aktobe has unveiled plans to build a new stadium with a seating capacity of 32,000. The Kazakh club says the construction of a new sports facility will be supported by the country’s government as parts of efforts to promote football. The side’s current stadium has a capacity of some 13,500 seats.
Lippi banned from dugout for protest after Guangzhou have two sent off
August 25 – Marcello Lippi, Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning coach now in charge of China’s Guangzhou Evergrande, has been suspended for one game for confronting the referee during an AFC Champions League match.
Algerian fans pelt team with rocks, killing Cameroonian Ebosse
By Andrew Warshaw
August 25 – World football has been shocked by the death of a 24-year-old Cameroon footballer struck by a missile thrown from the terraces at a league match in Algeria. Albert Ebosse Bodjongo (pictured), the Algerian league’s top scorer last season with 17 goals, was hit on the head by what appeared to be a piece of concrete.
Libya pull out of AFCON 2017 leaving CAF looking for new host
By Andrew Warshaw
August 25 – Libya has been forced to pull out of hosting the 2017 African Cup of Nations in the latest blow to strike at the heart of African football.
David Owen: Liverpool and Balotelli: Why Reds set for a summer transfer profit despite £100m+ spree
Liverpool posted the biggest pre-tax loss in the Premier League in 2012-13. The previous year only Manchester City posted a bigger one. In such circumstances, you might have expected the Anfield club to be squirrelling away at least some of its Luis Suárez windfall; to be showing a modicum of restraint in this summer’s transfer market in the interests of its bottom-line. All the more so with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) provisions hovering in the background.
Human growth hormone testing poised to resume
By David Owen
August 22 – The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has given clearance for anti-doping bodies to resume human growth hormonr (hGH) testing after a more than year-long hiatus.
Managerial spat develops into far more sordid saga
By Andrew Warshaw
August 22- What started out as an English top-flight club unexpectedly losing the manager voted the best in Premier League last season has developed into a sordid saga that has made back-page headlines and tarnished the integrity of the game.
Playing overseas would help future England stars, says Hodgson
By Andrew Warshaw
August 22- With so few-home grown players able to break into top-flight English clubs because of the foreign invasion, England manager Roy Hodgson feels more of them should chance their arm overseas as once used to be the case.
Whereas Premier League clubs import countless players from around the world, English footballers rarely any longer move the other way.
Agents protest to European Commission over FIFA crackdown plans
By Andrew Warshaw
August 22- FIFA plans to reform the status of agents have incurred the wrath of the UK-based Association of Football Agents who are taking their case the European Commission.
The proposals, designed to weed out rogue parties and make for a more transparent process, were approved in March and are due to come into effect on April 1 next year.
Ghana report uncovers series of broken promises and too many fans on Brazil trip
August 22 – Ghana’s investigation into their national team’s poor performance at the World Cup has uncovered discrepancies in the numbers of the supporter group that was officially sent to Brazil. Instead of the expected 612 fans, which had official seats on chartered flights, 696 found their way across.