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.
By Mark Baber
August 11 – After Ghana’s national humiliation during the World Cup, a Presidential Commission set up to investigate and subsequently take action has run into increasing trouble with FIFA over the perennial issue of government interference in football. FIFA’s second warning about the Commission’s terms of reference has led to a combative response from Commission members.
August 11 – South American confederation CONMEBOL ha appointed Paraguay’s Juan Angel Napout as its new president. He takes over from Uruguay’s Eugenio Figueredo until May 2015 when new elections will be held.
Against my better judgment, I yesterday waded into the lively Twitter debate over Celtic and the Champions League being prosecuted (the bits that I have seen) by those better informed and/or more emotionally engaged than me.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 11 – The international players’ union FIFPro has once again sprung to the defense of Luis Suarez, calling for the Uruguayan striker’s four-month ban for biting – plus nine competitive internationals – at the World Cup to be reduced.
August 11 – The Asian Football Confederation has handed out two-year bans to two players for doping offenses.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 11 – Vanishing spray to ensure players do not encroach at freekicks outside the penalty area is to be used in UEFA club competitions this season following its successful implementation at the World Cup.
August 8 – The parlous financial state of much of Spanish football has been underlined yet again with Real Murcia demoted to the third tier of the league. It is huge fall from grace for Murcia, who finished fourth in the second division last season before being beaten in the promotion playoffs by Cordoba.
August 8 – Abu Dhabi club Al Ain has launched a season ticket initiative for fans in its new Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, one of the few clubs in the region to have such a scheme. But what is most notable about the initiative is that females and families across the region are being encouraged to participate.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 8 – Despite being well beaten in both legs, Celtic were dramatically given a Champions League lifeline today after Legia Warsaw were kicked out for fielding an ineligible player – the second time in recent years that the Scots have earned a lucky reprieve.
By Paul Nicholson
August 8 – Clubs and leagues could be missing out on up to 30% of the value of their international media sales inventory, according to a leading digital replacement advertising board specialist. New technology is now unlocking added sponsorship real estate as well as opening rightsholders to advertising clients that would previously never have considered the opportunity.
August 8 – Luis Suarez’ appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has begun in Switzerland, the outcome determining whether the Uruguay international will have to serve a four-month ban for infamously biting an opponent at the World Cup.