Manchester United tops world rich list
By David Gold
July 18 – Forbes has named Manchester United as the most valuable sports team in the world, just ahead of American Football giants the Dallas Cowboys and baseball’s New York Yankees.
US investors save Beitar Jerusalem
By David Gold
July 17 – Israeli giants Beitar Jerusalem have been sold to US businessmen Dan Adler and Adam Levine (pictured), who have pledged to stamp out racism at the club, whose fans have a history of anti-Arab chanting.
Exclusive: FIFA Ethics Committee set to open new investigation into bribery scandal
By Andrew Warshaw
July 16 – FIFA’S Ethics Committee is set to open fresh investigations into the bribery scandal that has rocked world football, sources have revealed.
Sao Paulo World Cup hopes boosted by new stadium approval
By Andrew Warshaw
July 15 – One of the most embarrassing episodes hindering progress for the 2014 World Cup has moved a step closer to being resolved after Sao Paulo’s chances of hosting the opening game were given a major boost following the approval of a funding package for a new 65,000-seater stadium for local club Corinthians.
Mihir Bose: FIFA are in danger of falling in to the same trap as News International
FIFA is facing its own News International moment with its corruption scandal. News International thought that by saying phone hacking was the work of one rogue reporter, Clive Goodman, the royal correspondent, and his confidant Glenn Mulcaire, it could isolate the problem. As the world now knows, it could not.
FIFA is in danger of making a similar mistake if it thinks the corruption scandal has been dealt with once the Ethics Committee finishes its work on July 23.
Spanish League backs UEFA’s financial fair play regulations
By Andrew Warshaw
July 14 – Spanish football officials are setting up a crack monitoring unit to make sure none of their clubs fall foul of UEFA’s financial fair play regulations.
Footballing legends set for Brazil 2014 World Cup draw
By Andrew Warshaw
July 14 – Brazil’s 2014 World Cup preparations may be the subject of constant criticism but the five-time world champions are setting up a galaxy of stars for the preliminary draw on July 30.
Arsenal replaces Thomson with Thomas Cook as its official travel partner
By Emily Goddard
July 13 – Thomas Cook Sport will return as Arsenal FC’s official travel partner for the 2011/2012 football season, bringing an end to the club’s three-year deal with Thomson after just a season.
Men’s football groups drawn for Asian Olympic qualification
By David Gold
July 12 – The draw for the final third round of Asian qualifying for the London 2012 men’s Olympic football tournament was made today, with top seeds South Korea given the toughest task.
Warner claims he’ll be back to clear up “unfinished business”
By Andrew Warshaw
July 12 – Jack Warner, the former FIFA vice-president who resigned in the wake of the sport’s worst ever bribery scandal, says he may return to football in the future to complete “unfinished business”.
There is not even a sliver of evidence behind the claims, argues Qatar World Cup chief
By Andrew Warshaw
July 12 – The head of Qatar’s victorious bid to stage the 2022 World Cup insists the campaign was totally clean and suggests anti-Arab sentiment in part fuelled the string of allegations against the oil-rich Gulf state.
German women’s football squad eliminated from London 2012 Games after shock defeat
By David Gold
July 11 – Germany will not be in attendance at the London 2012 Olympic football tournament after the women’s World Cup favourites suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Japan in the quarter finals in Wolfsburg.
FIFA confirm apology from Qatar whistleblower
By Andrew Warshaw
July 11 – FIFA became the latest organisation today to confirm receipt of an official apology from the whistleblower who has retracted serious bribery allegations made against Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid.
Manchester City sign £100 million deal with Etihad Airways
By David Gold
July 8 – Manchester City has announced a 10-year deal with Etihad Airways worth a potential £100 million, which involves renaming their stadium and shirt sponsorship, marking a significant step towards compliance with UEFA’s financial fair play rules, though the nature of the deal could attract attention from Europe’s governing body.
Andrew Warshaw: Beware the phantom mobile phone hacker
Football politics is a murky world at the best of times but the experience I have just encountered has made me question whether there are dark and evil forces at play.
The other day I received an email from my mobile phone supplier asking me whether I wanted to reset my password. What password? I’ve never had a password for my mobile phone. My gut instinct – and thank goodness I acted on it –