October 25 – Football’s lawmakers have sought to tighten up the accuracy of goalline technology, coincidentally following the latest controversy when Bayer Leverkusen’s Stefen Kiessling was awarded a goal even though his effort had entered through the side netting.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 25 – Professional clubs in France have decided to go on strike for the first time in over 40 years in protest at the government’s proposal to tax business incomes of more than €1 million at a massive 75%. The clubs have unanimously voted in favour of boycotting fixtures scheduled for November 29 and December 2, the first walkout by French players since 1972 and affecting the two top leagues.
There are now six American owners of English Premier League teams. A statistic that would once have been mind boggling.
The latest is Shahid Khan, and to spend time with him at Fulham FC is an education into the mindset of the new breed of owners.
I say new breed, but he is very much an individual. Smart, practical and innovative, the fact he has been ‘ranked’ as one of the world’s 500 richest people should not surprise.
By Andrew Warshaw and Paul Nicholson
October 24 – The Russian racism row following Wednesday night’s Champions League clash between CSKA Moscow and Manchester City was elevated a further level today when UEFA President Michel Platini requested an internal investigation into why the UEFA protocol for dealing with racial incidents was not applied. Already UEFA has opened a disciplinary investigation into the actual incident, while the Russian World Cup organisers have also issued a statement promising to eradicate racism.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 24 – After a period of relative calm with so much media focus on the tournament in Qatar four years later, organisers of the 2018 World Cup in Russia have suddenly found themselves back in the spotlight over the festering issue of racism which still shows no sign of being eradicated.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 24 – The outspoken coach of hosts United Arab Emirates refused to blame his players for their first-round exit from the under-17 World Cup following a 2-0 defeat by Slovakia.
October 24 – English grassroots will receive a £102 million boost over the next three years via a new fund that will contribute to new facilities and coaching initiatives throughout the country.
By Panos Bletsos
Ocotber 24 – Olympiakos have announced a two-year deal to promote the UNICEF logo on the front of their shirts and to help the Fund raise at least €2 million. The Greek champions and UEFA Champions League regulars have joined Barcelona in supporting the global children’s charity.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 24 – Frenchman Philippe Piat is back at the helm of the international players’ union FIFPro and has called on member associations to air their grievances to avoid the organisation becoming “an empty shell.” Piat, now 72, was named president for the second time at the FIFPro General Assembly in Slovenia in succession to Leonardo Grosso and will hold the post until 2017.
On my own program The Football Talk, which is broadcast every Friday on www.163.com, I had a long interview with Sun Jihai, China’s most successful ever footballer. In this 90 minutes chat, Sun covered issues about his bewilderment of being omitted from the national team, even though at the age of 37, he is still being voted week in week out as the top centre half in the China Super League. Sun also compared the different football cultures in China and Europe,
As a veteran of several boardroom battles and high-wire conflict with the British Labour party, as he led a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that was extremely critical of the former’s conduct in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, while it was the party of government, one would have thought an English FA chaired by a supposedly media savvy Greg Dyke would be particularly conscious about not embarrassing itself in public.
Resigning in rather dramatic (some would say unfair) circumstances,
By Paul Nicholson
October 22 – FIFA chief medical officer Jiri Dvorak has announced an extension of the Football for Health programme in the CONCACAF region with three new pilot initiatives to be undertaken in countries from the three language groups in the region – English, Spanish and French. The markets have still to be chosen.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 23- Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who retired in the summer after 27 years at the club, has revealed he was asked twice to become manager of England – but refused both times.
October 23- Two more cases of racism at Europa League games have drawn the wrath of Uefa who have punished both Cypriot club Apoel Nicosia and Croatia’s HNK Rijeka.
October 23- FIFA has imposed worldwide bans on three more El Salvador national team players in an ongoing match-fixing investigation, bringing the total to 19.