Afghan football returns with Pakistan friendly and new league
August 19 – FIFA are hailing this week’s international friendly between Afghanistan and Pakistan and the start of the second edition of the Afghan Premier League (APL) two days later as major milestones in the recent history of Afghan football. Tuesday’s landmark friendly in Kabul is the first such fixture in Afghanistan since 2003, when the host nation played Turkmenistan, and is expected to be a full house.
FIFA: ‘too early’ for Plan B for World Cup doping tests
By David Owen
August 19 – FIFA has yet to formulate a ‘Plan B’ for handling World Cup doping tests in the event of the local Rio de Janeiro doping control laboratory being unavailable, and is unlikely to do so before next year.
No CL reprieve for Metalist as CAS turns down appeal immediately
By Andrew Warshaw
August 17 – Metalist Kharkiv’s attempt to be re-instated in the Champions League has been dismissed after the Court of Arbitration for Sport turned down their appeal against a UEFA ban for alleged match-fixing, clearing the way for PAOK Salonika to take their place and face Schalke in the playoff round next week.
Israel backs down and issues entry permits for WAFF championship in Palestine
By Mark Baber
August 16 – In the face of a public relations disaster and widespread calls for sanctions from FIFA and UEFA, Israel has relented to pressure to allow youth teams to participate in the 4th West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) U-16 Championship, it was announced by Jordanian and Palestinian officials today.
Exclusive: Rio lab to learn its fate early next month
By David Owen
August 16 – The UFRJ Rio de Janeiro doping control laboratory should find out early next month if it faces possible revocation of its accreditation, insideworldfootball has learnt. Under the International Standard for Laboratories (ISL), a facility whose accreditation has been revoked is ineligible to perform testing of doping control samples for any testing authority.
Palestinians demand FIFA action after Israelis refuse entry for WAFF teams
By Mark Baber
August 16 – The Palestinian Football Federation has demanded FIFA expel Israel from FIFA after Israel’s refusal to grant entry permits for players and officials intending to participate in the first ever international football championship to be held in Palestine.
John Yan: 赛事直播多频时代 A multi-screen age for football in China
赛事直播多频时代
关于欧洲的顶级足球联赛，中国球迷的幸运程度，要在欧洲球迷之上——只要你有足够多时间和足够大的兴趣，你可以看到绝大部分顶级欧洲足球职业赛事。
8月18日，一个全新的免费体育赛事频道，将出现在央视的频道矩阵当中，名为”5+”，意指CCTV5之外的又一个体育频道。央视体育中心主任江和平在介绍”5+”时，用”全赛事全高清全天候全开路”进行概括，”全开路”就说明了这个频道的免费性质。
Exclusive: Boyce promises best refs for biggest games and no new tech
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
August 16 – British FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce says he is “shocked and honoured” to be awarded one of the most important roles within the game – head of FIFA’s referees committee – and says he will do all he can to make sure the best officials are used in major competitions in order to avoid any hint of corruption or dirty tricks. Boyce recently ran the FIFA under-20 World Cup organising committee in Turkey and is understood to have impressed FIFA with his organisational skills.
Salman backs a ‘magnificent’ Qatar 2022 but steers clear of Winter talk
By Paul Nicholson
August 16 – Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has added his voice to the Qatar 2022 debate saying that he is confident that Qatar will host a “magnificent” World Cup, though a statement issued via the AFC media office stops short of entering the Winter vs Summer discussion, saying he is confident that FIFA will make the best decision for all.
Host cities unveiled for FIFA U-20 World Cup 2015 New Zealand
By Mark Baber
August 16 – The host cities and stadiums for the FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015 have been announced with matches being hosted on both the North and South islands in seven venues.
Scudamore demands Summer 2022 stays fixed, or find a new host
By Andrew Warshaw
August 16 – Premier League chief Richard Scudamore is back on the offensive over the 2022 World Cup, this time suggesting it should be moved from Qatar rather than be staged in winter. The Premier League are gradually losing the argument of sticking with a June-July tournament even though switching to winter would break with tradition and should have been thought through properly two and half years ago when the vote took place,
BT Sport sign Man City for content and Virgin for distribution
By Paul Nicholson
August 16 – On the eve of the opening day of England’s Premier League season, broadcast newcomer BT Sport and Manchester City have announced a three-year content partnership. The deal will include BT Sport broadcasting exclusive weekly interviews from key members of the playing and coaching staff, and access to behind-the-scenes content, on average expected to be three hours per week.
Metalist go back to CAS to appeal UEFA ban
By Andrew Warshaw
August 16 – As expected, Metalist Kharkiv are appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against being thrown out of their first ever Champions League campaign by UEFA over a domestic match-fixing case dating back to 2008.
Mihir Bose: Watch out for the long game that Greg Dyke is playing
Greg Dyke has never been afraid to take on the big battalions. His fights with Rupert Murdoch first over the rights to televise the newly formed Premier League and then over Sky’s attempt to buy Manchester United are legendary. And, as has been well recorded, he famously took on Tony Blair, and particularly his PR guru Alistair Campbell, over the dossier about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. This ultimately cost him his BBC job but the way he waged that war showed his lust for battle.