Soccerex summit kicks off in Jordan with last minute sub
By Andrew Warshaw in Jordan.
May 13 – The head of Qatar’s 2022 world cup organising committee was forced to pull out of Asia’s first ever Soccerex forum today for unspecified reasons.
Sony lays down challenge to social networks with ‘One Stadium’ launch
By Mark Baber
May 13 – Sony yesterday launched a social network site called “One Stadium Live” which brings together social network content from Twitter, Facebook and Google+ on a single platform. The initiative is part of Sony’s World Cup campaign. Sony is one FIFA’s six major sponsor partners.
Israel tests FIFA resolve with refusals of international permits for West Bank tournament
By Mark Baber
May 13 – As of Monday morning, Pakistan’s football coach Bahraini Mohammed Shamlan was still waiting for a permit from Israel to allow him to join his team at the Al-Nakba International Football Tournament in Palestine.
CONCACAF beefs up its policing with Interpol hook-up
By Paul Nicholson
May 13 – CONCACAF has taken another step forward in the battle against match-fixing, signing a memorandum of Understanding with International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL). The co-operation agreement will enable joint efforts in what CONCACAF calls “sports integrity initiatives”, particularly in the sharing of resources and experiences. The aim is to intensify on-going work to combat match-fixing.
Simunic to miss World Cup as CAS rejects appeal
May 13 – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has rejected Josip’s Simunic’s appeal against a 10-match ban imposed by FIFA for discriminatory behaviour.
Jordan prepares to host Soccerex forum this week
By Andrew Warshaw
May 12 – Amidst political tension between its two most influential officials, Asian football attempts to redress the balance this week as figures from across the Continent and beyond converge on the eastern shores of the Dead Sea for two days of discussions aimed at promoting the positive side of developing the game on and off the field.
Scudamore apologises for sexist comments in ‘private’ email
May 12 – The boss of England’s Premier League has been forced to apologise over alleged sexist comments but has nevertheless been condemned by women’s groups and politicians.
Valcke muses on how FIFA should work with World Cup hosts
May 12 – Having spent months tirelessly trying to get Brazil’s preparations up to speed, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke says with future World Cups he should perhaps take more of a back seat after having to deal with so much pressure.
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 attracts hosting interest
May 12 – The rapidly growing strength of women’s football has been underlined with FIFA’s announcement that five countries have put forward bids to stage the 2019 World Cup. France and England from Europe, South Korea from Asia, New Zealand and South Africa have all declared an interest in hosting the tournament.
More racism in Italy mars Atalanta vs AC Milan league finale
By Andrew Warshaw
May 12 – Despite increasingly tough penalties in their own competitions from both FIFA and UEFA, at domestic level instances of racism in Europe appear to show no sign of decreasing as, for the third week in a row, a major league has been blighted by discrimination.
Crowd stampede kills 15 in Congo title decider
By Andrew Warshaw
May 12 – African football has been rocked by disaster when at least 15 people were killed and more than 20 injured in a stampede at a match in the Democratic Republic of Congo capital of Kinshasa. The tragedy reportedly occurred after police fired tear gas, provoking a stampede during the playoff match between ASV Club and the Tout Puissant Mazembe on Sunday evening.
Osasu Obayiuwana: Crossing the gender frontier
Next season is going to be extremely interesting for second division French side Clermont Foot.
Appointing Helena Costa, a 36-year-old Portuguese woman, as its new manager, the club has certainly crossed a gender frontier.
The first female to be put in charge of a male football club in France – and any first or second division side in Europe, for that matter – Costa is certain to receive a level of global media scrutiny that even she might be surprised with.
New FIFA regulations include ‘recommended’ 3% limit on agents’ fees
By David Owen
May 12 – FIFA appears to have opted for a tentative approach in its long-running efforts to reform the agent system. An official circular recently sent to FIFA members preparing for next month’s Congress in Sao Paulo seems to indicate that a possible 3% cap on remuneration payable to “intermediaries” would be by recommendation only.
Brazil mobilises 30,000 troops and police for pre-World Cup border patrol
By David Owen
May 12 – With just a month to go before the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the Brazilian Government has launched its largest mobilisation of armed forces, using 30,000 military personnel to patrol its entire 17,000-kilometre national border, one of the world’s longest.
Zenit fans invade pitch and hit Dynamo’s Granat
By Richard van Poortvliet
May 12 – Zenit St. Petersburg are in yet more trouble with the Russian Football Union after one of their supporters punched Dynamo Moscow defender Vladimir Granat in the head, towards the end of their Russian Premier League tie.