By Paul Nicholson
May 9 – The holy grail of how to monetise large Facebook groups has taken a step closer with the launch of a social ticketing application, SitNearMe. A Facebook app that sits within the Facebook canvas.
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
May 9 – Landmark talks with FIFA aimed at creating an historic deal to unify football in Cyprus have stalled as Greek and Turkish Cypriot officials grapple with the wording of a firm agreement.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 9 – Rio de Janeiro politicians want the name of disgraced former FIFA president Joao Havelange removed from the city’s Olympic stadium in the wake of recent bribery findings.
It is a measure of how much Sir Alex Ferguson changed football that his retirement should have overshadowed the Queen’s speech and led to newspapers printing souvenir editions. It is hard to imagine any other football manager leaving his job, and that too at the age of 71, having such a profound impact. Indeed the amount of time and space devoted to his retirement suggests he is no longer regarded as a football coach but more like a statesman or world thinker who shaped all our lives.
News of Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement brought to mind two scenes nearly three decades apart.
In the first, it is 11 May 1983 and I am with friends clustered around the TV in a cramped London apartment.
A strong Scottish contingent is hoping to witness a miracle: the humbling of Real Madrid by Ferguson’s new kids on the block from Aberdeen, a side built around the indefatigable Gordon Strachan and the formidable centre-back pairing of Alex McLeish and Willie Miller.
By Paul Nicholson
May 8 – FIFA and EA SPORTS have extended their existing licensing agreement until December 31, 2022. EA SPORTS has exclusive rights to release FIFA-branded action and management videogames as well as the official FIFA World Cup videogame.
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
May 8 – There are great managers – and then there is Sir Alex Ferguson. The Manchester United boss, known by most simply as Fergie, may have at times infuriated non-United fans but the fact that every television and radio broadcast in England led with the announcement of his retirement today said everything about the end of an era and his place in the annals of all-time legends.
May 8 – Never mind if the Maracana will be open on time, it looks like the fans will be turning up whether it is ready or not. FIFA reports that tickets for the Confederation Cup are selling well with 71.2% of the total inventory for the tournament now sold.
May 8 – Sports rights agency Kentaro, is being sued by football investment fund Global Eleven, over failing to return profits from matches played by world champions Brazil.
By Mark Baber
May 8 – Brazilian clubs, fighting proposals to ban third party ownership of players, face a new threat from their own government which is proposing to ban the controversial practice.
By Mark Baber
May 8 – The likelihood of India hosting the 2017 Under-17 World Cup received a boost as the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) bid received the support of the Indian Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) as well as of FIFA’s vice-president Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein (pictured).
By Monica Villar
May 8 – The newly-elected president of the LFP, Javier Tebas has spoken out about recent accusations of match-fixing in the Levante vs Deportivo match, but has said that the allegations are not aimed at the club directly.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 8 – Brazil’s iconic Maracana is once again facing problems after a warm-up event at the revamped venue was cancelled.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 8 – Manchester United have confirmed rumours that Sir Alex Ferguson, the most successful club manager in the history of world football, will retire after more than 26 years.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 8 – The cloud of doom that has hung over Scottish football all year has finally been lifted with an agreement to restructure the leagues, hopefully in time for next season. Under the deal there would be single merged governing body to oversee the domestic professional game, with improved financial redistribution.