Hayatou to step down as CAF President…after his next term
By Mark Baber
February 11 – Confederation of African Football President Issa Hayatou says if he is re-elected in March it will be his last term as president.
Africa’s COSAFA Castle Cup to return in July
By Mark Baber
February 11 – The Cosafa Cup, suspended since 2010, will return this year with the re-launched tournament being held in Zambia in July, and Castle remaining on board as the main sponsor.
Blatter perplexed by UEFA’s reform statement
By Andrew Warshaw, Chief Correspondent
February 11 – FIFA president Sepp Blatter has hit back at criticism by UEFA of the reform process he instigated almost two years ago in the wake of widespread corruption. The reform process will reach its eagerly awaited conclusion at the FIFA Congress in May.
[b]John Yan:[/b] 逃离上海滩 Escape From Shanghai
作者：颜强 网易门户副总编
By：John Yan，Deputy Editor of Netease.com
阿内尔卡完成了他职业生涯第11次加盟。这位行将34岁的前锋，由上海申花转入意甲尤文图斯。这是他17年职业生涯里加入的第11个俱乐部。
消息传出也就两天，德罗巴也宣布离开上海，加盟土耳其加拉塔萨雷。中国职业足球历史上最大牌的两个外援，前切尔西锋线双煞，选择在同一时间回归欧洲，让朱骏将上海申花打造成世界级锋线的计划，迅速成为笑话。不仅中国足球的国际形象受损，申花巨额投入受损，未来申花俱乐部的前途蒙上阴影，上海球市受到的伤害也难以估量。
David Owen: Why Platini’s Grande Idée makes sense for Africa
By David Owen
I came upon a prescient article from the Washington Post today.
It was about a West African country where poverty was said to be fuelling a resurgence of Muslim fundamentalism.
“People want schools, they want medical attention for their children,” a local sociologist was quoted as saying.
“But who is listening to them?
“Islamists, who provide them with water and fertiliser to believe the solutions are found in religion.
Harris lines up a bid for Pompey
February 8 – One of English football’s best known boardroom faces, Keith Harris (pictured), looks set to get back into the game with a bid for Portsmouth, the former Premier League club currently stuggling in League One.
Premier League votes for its own financial sustainability regs
By Mark Baber
February 8 – The Premier League has voted in its own set of financial controls on its member clubs, though some clubs feel the rules do not go far enough.
Champions League final ticket sales start Monday
February 8 – 9,000 tickets for the Wembley UEFA Champions League final to be held on May 25, go on sale exclusively on UEFA.com from Monday at 12.00 CET.
Tickets still on sale for Sunday’s AFCON final
By Mark Baber
February 8 – There are still 10,000 unsold tickets for Sunday’s AFCON final between Burkina Faso and Nigeria, according to Confederation of African Football (CAF) general secretary Hicham El Amrani.
EU report calls for reform of transfer system
By Mark Baber
February 8 – A European Commission study on the economic and legal aspects of player transfers says the transfer system has to change to bring it into line with the original rationale for sport to be alowed to differ from normal employment practices.
Chelsea join Premiership elite headed to Asia
February 8 – Chelsea are headed to Asia pre-season on their ‘Here to Play, Here to Stay’ tour, which will see the west London-based club play matches in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta.
Pieth slams UEFA proposals as threatening FIFA’s reform process
February 7 – Swiss law professor and FIFA’s anti-corruption adviser Mark Pieth has warned that UEFA’s position on FIFA’s reform proposals will “basically try to cut half” of the modernising agenda.
Burundi: Football offers hope to street children
February 7 – FIFA has partnered with Terre des Hommes (TdH) and its local partner Giriyuja to establish a centre for street kids in Burundi’s capital Bujumbara.
DFB prepares coming-out guidance for clubs
By Mark Baber
February 7 – A working group under the direction of sports sociologist Gunter A. Pilz is developing guidelines for the German Football Association (DFB) to help German football clubs prepare for the potential outing of a gay player.
FIFA launches Footieleaks website for whistleblowers
February 7 – FIFA has launched a website where whistleblowers can report allegations of corruption, match-fixing and breaches of the FIFA Code of Conduct and the FIFA Code of Ethics.