November 27 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Executive Committee has approved the format for the AFC Champions League for the next three seasons, with the continuation of the Final being played on a home and away basis.
By Paul Nicholson and Andrew Warshaw
November 27 – Trapped French-Algerian footballer Zahir Belounis’ was finally granted his exit visa today and will leave Qatar on Thursday, bringing to an end a tortuous saga that made worldwide headlines and heaped embarrassment on the Qatari authorities.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 27 – In an address to the Asian Football Confederation at its awards ceremony dinner in Malaysia, FIFA President Sepp Blatter rounded on the international media, “and especially European media”, for constantly undermining 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar.
November 27- Norway’s government has stepped up its involvement in helping football ease the plight of Syrian refugees who have fled to Jordan. Foreign Minister Børge Brende this week inaugurated the Norway Football Field for Girls at the Za’atari Syrian refugee camp in Northern Jordan and checked on progress of the second Norway Football Field in Za’atari that is set to be complete next month.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
November 27 – The Polish Football Association (PZPN) has decided that clubs playing in the Esktraklasa, the top tier of Poland’s football league, will be allowed to include a maximum of three players from outside of the European Union per squad at any time of the match. The regulation will come into force in the 2015-2016 season.
Other than for the slightly mischievous purpose of beginning a discussion, triggered by fellow Insideworldfootball columnist Lee Wellings last week, as he looked at the chances of the African quintet going to next year’s World Cup finals in Brazil, the headline for this week’s piece would, obviously, be silly.
Lee asked me whether “it’s frustrating that people outside Africa talk about [African] nations as ‘representing the continent’, as he wondered whether “the biggest hurdle towards an African side finally winning the World Cup is that we (as in the rest of the world,
November 27 – On the field, Brazil’s famous yellow jersey is one of the most iconic pieces of apparel in world football. Off it, the recent unveiling of the kit Brazil will wear when it hosts the World Cup next summer has sparked the latest battle in the war for shirt supremacy between fierce rivals Nike and Adidas.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 27 – The latest publicised outbreak of racism in a major European league has prompted FIFA President Sepp Blatter to intervene by saying he was “sickened” by the reports.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 27 – The Asian Football Confederation has put its full force behind Palestine’s efforts to achieve free movement of players, officials and equipment.
By Paul Nicholson
November 27 – The leading North American match analysis and statistical provider for football (soccer) is expanding into the European marketplace with its suite of game and performance analysis tools. Match Analysis, based in the San Francisco area, is targeting clubs and leagues in a bid to “change the culture” of strategic and technical analysis.
By Paul Nicholson
November 26 – International players union FIFPro is sending a delegation to Qatar on a four-day visit (November 28-31) to hold urgent talks with the country’s football authorities and organisers of the Qatar 2022 World Cup regarding the rights of players and in particular the plight of French footballer Zahar Belounis who has been trapped in the country by the kafala work visa system.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 26 – Ronald De Boer, the Dutch legend who finished his illustrious career in Qatar, has re-iterated his view that a summer World Cup in 2022 is still possible – but only if it is staged in May.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 26 – Despite the ongoing scourge of match-fixing across the globe, FIFA Director of Security Ralf Mutschke says he has drawn “positive conclusions” from the efforts to reduce manipulation.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 26 – In an extreme case of fanaticism, a CSKA Sofia fan in Bulgaria has gone on hunger strike demanding a life ban for a referee who has already been suspended for his poor officiating in a domestic game.
By David Owen
November 26 – Swansea’s footballing stature has been on the rise in recent times, courtesy of the stylish play that has carried Michael Laudrup’s men to the Premier League and a trophy – last season’s Capital One Cup. Now the Welsh city has added another unique feather to its footballing cap: it is the home of Wolfestone, the company entrusted with the job of translating the Pope’s copy of The FIFA Weekly into Latin.