Gareth Bale may be the first British galectico that Real Madrid have signed since David Beckham in 2003, but the differences between the two transfers shows how the world of football has moved on in the last decade. In a sense there has been a revolution in the way transfers are done and mega million transfers of high profile players have truly come of age.
It shows how much more skilful agents are,
By Paul Nicholson
September 4 – World Cup 2014 ticket prices have again been the subject of debate as FIFA marketing director Thierry Weil has robustly responded, in writing, to a Swiss press report that FIFA’s World Cup final is the domain of an exclusive few.
September 4 – A Mass will be held to remember Stefano Borgonovo tomorrow, September 5 at 18:30 in the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella in Florence.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 4 – FIFA’s leading medical expert admits he is concerned the decision of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to revoke the accreditation of the Rio de Janeiro doping control laboratory so close to next year’s Brazil World Cup.
By Mark Baber
September 4 – Just days before the start of the new season, one of the I-League’s two new inductees, the Mumbai Tigers, has informed the Indian Football Federation (AIFF) that it is withdrawing from this season’s competition.
By Mark Baber
September 4 – The Czech FA (FAČR) has approved a plan to bid to be one of the 13 tournament hosts of the 2020 European Championships and will be submitting an application to UEFA prior to the September 12 deadline.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 4 – A Saudi prince is taking a 50% stake in ailing English third-tier club Sheffield United, the latest incursion into English football by Middle East investors but the first by a Saudi benefactor.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 4 – FIFA president Sepp Blatter says FIFA can do nothing to stop spiralling transfer fees following the world record €100 million sale of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid. Meanwhile FIFA TMS (Transfer Matching System), which monitors the movement of players, is reporting $3.4 billion of player sales globally this year (to September 3), a 29% uplift on 2012.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 4 – FIFA president Sepp Blatter has hailed initial talks aimed at easing travel restrictions for Palestinian footballers and breaking that country’s deep divisions with Israel as “historic” and hopes to find a permanent solution by the end of the year.
Gareth Bale did not have to stand on an 8m-high temporary platform for his unveiling as a €100 million signing to recognise he had swapped Tottenham Hotspur for a truly global stage at Real Madrid. The 24-year-old was already well aware of his commercial appeal.
In March he registered a stylised rendering of his ‘trademark’ goal celebration, which creates a heart shape from the contact of his index fingers and thumbs, as exactly that: a trademark with the UK government’s Intellectual Property Office.
By Paul Nicholson
September 3 – Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has reacted swiftly to accusations from Brazil that he has benefitted illegally from friendly matches involving the Brazilian national team. He has also confirmed that he “consulted” his friend Ricardo Teixeira on his move to Andorra, where Rosell has an agency.
By Mark Baber
September 3 – Moses Magogo has been elected unopposed as the new President of the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) for the next four years, taking over from Lawrence Mulindwa who declined to seek re-election after serving for eight years.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 3 – Kosovan football authorities have written to FIFA president Sepp Blatter condemning Russia’s refusal to grant a visa to a Swiss-based Kosovan player for a recent Europa League fixture.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 3 – Despite UEFA’s financial fair play regulations, English Premier League clubs spent a record £630 million in the summer transfer window that slammed shut on Monday, according to Deloitte’s Sports Business Group. The new tally easily beat the previous record of £500 million set back in 2008, with clubs able to take advantage of the Premier League’s massive television deal without which spending would have been far lower.
By Mark Baber
September 3 – There have been calls for UEFA to intervene as the ticket office of FCK København has been cancelling ticket purchases for its forthcoming Champions League games against Juventus, Real Madrid and Galatasaray made by people with ‘foreign-sounding’ names. The clubs it is acting on “security grounds”.