By David Gold
April 22 – A Dubai based group has announced the purchase of La Liga outfit Getafe in a deal worth €90million (£79 million/$131 million) – and immediately set their sights on working out how to beat local rivals Real Madrid, one of the giants of the world game.
By David Gold
April 22 – Chelsea have appointed sports marketing agency SportFive to market 19 of its first team squad players, including John Terry and Didier Drogba.
By Tom Degun
April 22 – Mayor of London Boris Johnson has come under fire as it was today revealed that he spent just under £300,000 ($495,000) on England’s shambolic bid to host the FIFA 2018 World Cup, which equates to nearly £50,000 ($83,000) more than he pledged.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 22 – The publicity machine ahead of the FIFA Presidency vote on June 1 swung back towards Mohamed Bin Hammam today when the challenger from Asia said he, too, would significantly increase funding to poorer nations if elected.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 22 – England’s failed 2018 World Cup bid has come under fresh scrutiny with the revelation that a company run by the son of one-time 2018 Board member Sir Dave Richards secured commercial deals to provide merchandise to promote the bid.
By David Gold
April 22 – Doha looks set to host a benefit game in December for the victims of last month’s devastating earthquake and tsunami which struck Japan.
By David Gold
April 22 – UEFA President Michel Platini has unveiled the Board for the European Championships in 2016, the first tournament in the competition’s history being funded entirely by the continent’s governing body, and which is being held in France.
By David Gold
April 21 – The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, has announced the formation of a board of directors for the organisation of the 2022 World Cup, which will be the first time the tournament is held in the Middle East.
When I joined FIFA in 1975 as its development officer, our organisation employed 11 people who operated out of an old Zurich villa and generated a modest income. Football was a pastime for many but by far not the power it has become ever since.
No matter what some critics say, FIFA has substantially contributed to the improvement of lives around the world over the last three decades. Since I joined in the seventies,
By David Gold
April 20 – The African Football Confederation (CAF) has fined Egyptian outfit Zamalek following a pitch invasion after a game in the African Champions League last month.
By Andrew Warshaw at the Guildhall in London
April 20 – UEFA will decide at the beginning of May which candidate to back in the forthcoming FIFA election campaign, its President Michael Platini revealed today.
By Andrew Warshaw at the Guildhall in London
April 20 – Tottenham Hotspur’s bid to overturn the decision to allow rivals West Ham United to move to the Olympic Stadium after next year’s Games is doomed to fail, London Mayor Boris Johnson hinted today.
By Andrew Warshaw at the Guildhall in London
April 20 – UEFA President Michel Platini has apologised for over-pricing tickets for next month’s Champions League final, the showpiece event of the European club calendar.
By Duncan Mackay
April 20 – Sepp Blatter has written to all 208 members of FIFA to try to win their support for a fourth time as President, claiming that the sport is healthy financially and better developed under him than at any time in its history and that he offers “proven leadership”.
By David Gold
April 20 – Former South American champions Once Caldas became the second Colombian team in a week to face a 30-day suspension over unpaid player wages.