By Andrew Warshaw
January 28 – In a financial deal described as the biggest in the club’s history, English Premier League leaders Arsenal have received a potentially game-changing boost by switching its kit supplier to Puma from Nike as of next season after two decades with the US sportswear giant.
In rugby much is being made about how England’s head coach Stuart Lancaster has brought back Englishness to the oval ball game. Yet look at the round ball game and you see that foreign culture is not only accepted but cherished. A glimpse of this was provided when there was much surprise that Tim Sherwood, as English as they come, would take over when Andre Villas-Boas, who could not be less English, was sacked. Yes there was surprise that Sherwood had no experience of first team coaching at this level but in many ways the greatest surprise was that he was English.
In the tumultuous period that has followed the toppling of two presidents, Hosni Mubarak and Mohamed Morsi, over the past three years, with the country remaining in a state of political flux, the huge damage done to Egyptian football cannot be exaggerated.
Its clubs are yet to recover from the severe hit to their finances, as a result of the abandonment of the 2011/2012 national championship, following the death of 74 fans, after a match in Port Said between Ahly and Masry.
January 27 – Sir Alex Ferguson, appointed last week as UEFA’s new coaching ambassador to “teach the teachers”, has denounced the culture of sacking managers at the first sign of crisis.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
January 27 – Czech and Slovak football associations are holding talks on creating a joint league and a cup designed to pit clubs from the two countries against each other. “The issue of a Czech-Slovak league is on the table. By mid-February, we have to sit down and say whether this makes sense or not,” Jan Kovacik, president of the Slovak football association, was reported saying.
January 27 – In a major boost for the region, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced plans to expand the Asian Cup, its flagship tournament, from 16 to 24 teams as part of a raft of changes designed to increase the number of international matches for member nations.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 27 – Sandro Rosell, who dramatically quit as Barcelona president last week over an investigation into last year’s signing of star Brazilian forward Neymar, is still facing unconnected allegations that he benefitted illegally from friendly matches involving the Brazilian national team.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 27 – The staging of this year’s World Cup in Brazil has come under renewed intense scrutiny following fresh street protests over the cost of hosting the tournament.
January 27 – The thought of a big-league derby match being held in an empty stadium would generally be ridiculed. But that is what could happen next Sunday (February 2) in Genoa when kick off comes at 12.30am local time.
Just in the middle of the noise of Wang Jianlin’s potential purchase of Southampton FC, another piece of news related to The richest man in China and CFA (China Football Association) came out.
On January 21, 2014, the National Congress of CFA was finally held in a small town outside of Beijing. A new generation of leaders of CFA was elected by raised hands, and Wang Jianlin was appointed as the Adviser of CFA.
January 24- Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will help shape the future of European football after being unveiled today by UEFA as its new coaching ambassador.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 24- Euro 2016 hosts France are to play in the competition’s qualifying competition — but with a guarantee of their place in the finals secure.
By Richard van Poortvliet
January 24 – Fabio Capello has signed a contract extension with the Russian national team, which will see him in charge through to the 2018 World Cup, which the country will host.
January 24 – German prosecutors have searched tax offices in Bavaria as part of the probe into Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness who last year caused a sensation when he admitted publicly that he had millions of euros in a Swiss bank account that he had not declared.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 24 – Two days after one of Brazil’s 12 World Cup stadia learned it may have to be scrapped from the schedule because of construction delays, Brazil’s leader Dilma Rousseff and FIFA president Sepp Blatter presented a joint charm offensive following a courtesy meeting at FIFA headquarters in Zurich.