Paris St Germain to stay at Parc de Princes
By David Gold
June 9 – Paris St Germain will be staying at the Parc des Princes for “the long term”, Paris City Council have said.
World Cup organiser boycotts Euro 2012 over racism fears
By Andrew Warshaw
June 9 – Danny Jordaan, the man in charge of organising the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, is boycotting the European Championship finals in Poland and Ukraine in protest at the racism reports that plagued the build-up to the tournament which began last night.
UEFA confirms racist chanting at Dutch training session in Poland
By Andrew Warshaw
June 8 – UEFA today confirmed there were “isolated incidents of racist chanting” aimed at Netherlands players during a pre-European Championship open training session in Kraków yesterday and reiterated its stance against all forms of discrimination.
Exclusive: World Cup preparations are “going well”, insists Brazil’s Sports Minister
By David Gold
June 8 – Aldo Rebelo, Brazil’s Sports Minister, has told insideworldfootball that the infrastructure development and construction projects taking place for the hosting of the 2014 FIFA World Cup are “going well”, despite suffering a raft of bad press and setbacks in recent months.
Netherlands decides not to make racism complaint to UEFA
By Andrew Warshaw
June 8 – The Dutch Football Association has reportedly decided to make no official complaint to UEFA after skipper Mark van Bommel was subject to racist abuse at an open training session two days before the start of the 2012 European Championship.
UK Government boycott Euro 2012 over Ukraine’s human rights record
By Andrew Warshaw
June 8 – The British Government has joined the Europe-wide condemnation of Ukraine’s human rights record by announcing it will snub the group phase of the 2012 European Championship because of the “selective justice” meted out to jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko.
Chelsea’s Battersea Power Station bid scuppered by Malaysian developers
By David Gold
June 7 – Chelsea’s hopes of moving into a new stadium in Battersea have been scuppered by two Malaysian property companies.
Top football scandal buster to quit UEFA after Euro 2012
By Andrew Warshaw
June 7 – The UEFA lawyer charged with eradicating the growing scourge of match fixing in Europe is to quit after the 2012 European Championship in Poland and Ukraine.
Qatar’s Aspire Zone Foundation takes over Belgian side KAS Eupen
By Andrew Warshaw
June 7 – The increasing involvement of Qatar in European club football has taken another significant step forward with the takeover by the country’s Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) – one of the world’s most sophisticated sports facilities – of Belgian Second Division club KAS Eupen.
Manuel Preciado dies just 24 hours after accepting Villarreal coach job
By David Gold
June 7 – Spanish coach Manuel Preciado (pictured) has died of a heart attack at the age of 54, just after agreeing a deal to take over at relegated Villarreal next season.
Referees given power to stop Euro 2012 matches in zero-tolerance racism policy
By Andrew Warshaw
June 7 – UEFA President Michel Platini says referees will have no hesitation in halting matches at the 2012 European Championship if any of the players report being racially abused from the stands.
A positive Michel Platini opens Euro 2012 broadcasting centre in Poland
By David Gold
June 7 – UEFA President Michel Platini has helped unveil the 2012 European Championship International Broadcasting Centre (IBC) in Warsaw, while insisting he was “sure we are going to have a fine Euros”.
Exclusive: ISL dossier could see light of day by October this year
By Andrew Warshaw
June 7 – The infamous ISL corruption files, which have cast a dark shadow over much of Sepp Blatter’s 14-year FIFA Presidency, could finally be made public by the end of October, insideworldfootball has learned.
Mihir Bose: Of Roy, Rio, John, the Euros and the messy FA banana skin effect
The non-selection of Rio Ferdinand for the 2012 European Championship now resembles one of those tragedies where you start with one story and end up with something so different you can hardly recognise the starting point. And to think that Ferdinand should be the one who suffers the most collateral damage when he is not even involved in whatever John Terry may or may not have said to his brother Anton.
However, unlike many others in the game,
“Free-kick” spray used at CONMEBOL Brazil 2014 qualifiers
By David Gold
June 6 – The much talked about aerosol spray used to draw lines on a football pitch when giving a free-kick is being used during the current round of South American qualifiers for the Brazil 2014 World Cup, the continental confederation (CONMEBOL) has confirmed.