Uruguay football banned for 10 days after violent clashes
By Mark Baber
January 21 – Uruguay began a 10-day football ban on Friday after violence marred Wednesday’s mid-season recess game between Penarol and Nacional at the Centenario.
Imported players at record high across all Euro leagues, says CIES survey
By Mark Baber
January 21 – A new survey shows the percentage of players in European leagues imported from abroad is now at a record high. In the top 31 division leagues of UEFA, 36.1% of all squad members grew up in a different national association to that of their employer club.
UAE players hit the jackpot after Gulf Cup win
By Mark Baber
January 21 – UAE’s 2-1 win over Iraq in extra-time of the final of the Gulf Cup on Saturday has triggering a staggering Dh137 million ($37.3million) of money and gifts for the players and technical staff from the Emirates’ rulers as extra reward for their achievement.
UEFA fines Ajax for fans banner displayed at Manchester City match
By Mark Baber
January 21 – Ajax fans displayed banners, including an ‘Against Modern Football” banner with a cartoon of a sheikh handing over a bag of money with a dollar sign on it, on a light blue background with a red line through it, during a Champions League match in October against Manchester City.
Blatter: FIFA could not support a CIS league
By Andrew Warshaw, Chief Correspondent
January 21 – The idea of a creating a new Soviet-style league consisting of clubs from Russia and its neighbouring states has been dismissed out of hand by FIFA president Sepp Blatter.
Exclusive: FIFA chief believes Cypriot football has will to bridge Greek/Turk divide
By Andrew Warshaw, Chief Correspondent
January 21 – The FIFA intermediary who helped broker last week’s breakthrough re-unification talks between Greek and Turkish Cypriot football officials believes there is enough goodwill on both sides to bring about an historic deal.
Clubs pay tribute to sports scientist Nick Broad
By Andrew Warshaw
January 21 – Tributes have been pouring in for Paris St Germain performance director Nick Broad who was killed in a car accident at the age of 38 last week.
David Owen: Pep’s next step, why Germany may have been the logical choice
I can’t tell you exactly why Pep Guardiola, the hottest property in football management, decided this week to hitch his wagon to Germany’s Bundesliga.
But I don’t think it would have happened had it not been for a choice made by an obscure New Zealand football administrator in Zurich on 7 July 2000.
South Africa says it is ready for AFCON kick off
By Mark Baber
January 18 – The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off tomorrow with hosts South Africa playing Cape Verde at the National Stadium in Johannesburg and the South African organisers are ready to go.
Napoli celebrate as FIGC overturn points penalty and player bans
By Mark Baber
January 18 – Napoli have had the two-point penalty imposed for match fixing overturned and Paolo Cannavaro and Gianluca Grava have both had their six month bans revoked on appeal.
Nothing will stop Zenit stadium build, says Ivanov
By Mark Baber
January 18 – Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration of Russia, Sergei Ivanov, has stated that nobody will stop the construction of the Zenit football stadium in St Petersburg and it will be ready for the World Cup in 2018.
Platini meets French politicos to explain financial fair play
By Andrew Warshaw
January 18 – UEFA president Michel Platini has met with French politicians to discuss his organisation’s financial fair play rules designed to prevent clubs spending more than they earn.
Valcke calls for common legislation on match-fixing
By Andrew Warshaw, Chief Correspondent
January 18 – Although match fixing has become arguably the greatest scourge in the game, FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke is confident that elite matches in competitions like the Champions League and World Cup matches are immune from any illegal activity. But he says there needs to be a co-ordinated approach.
Andrew Warshaw: Cypriot football searches for unification across a fractious political divide
When Greek and Turkish Cypriot football officials staged their landmark re-unification talks this week, among the keen observers waiting in the winter sunshine for the eagerly anticipated arrival of the respective federation leaders was 81-year-old Sevim Ebeoglu.
Sevim, perhaps more than anyone else, epitomises what it would mean for the Turkish side of the divided island to be re-integrated with its once friendly neighbour.
South African players put performance before pay
By Mark Baber
January 18 – Host nation South Africa kick off their African Cup of Nations campaign on Saturday against Cape Verde with the players refusing to accept any bonuses for their Group A matches unless they qualify.