Red Star-Partisan derby features stun grenades, flares and arrests
April 27 – It’s known as the ‘eternal derby’ featuring one of the most notorious rivalries in European football. And once again it has been marred by crowd trouble.
Europe
Bulgarian FA fines CSKA Sofia for swastika flag but ‘monkey’ jibes unpunished
By Alexander Krassimirov
April 27 – The disciplinary committee of the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) has punished CSKA Sofia with a fine of BGN 37,500 (€18,750) for a swastika flag which was flown by the fans during the match against Lokomotiv Sofia last weekend.
World Cup lands in Northern Ireland for Shooting for Socrates premiere
April 24 – The World Cup is coming to Northern Ireland – the trophy, not the competition.
War on racism? Croatians turn on FARE for reporting racist chants…
By Mark Baber
April 24 – In the wake of UEFA sanctioning Croatia for the racist behaviour of same of their fans, the Croatian Football Federation turned on the Head of the Football against Racism in Europe (FARE) organiser in Croatia, falsely blaming him for the team having to play Italy behind closed doors. FARE have responded with an article on their website, which explores the issue in depth.
Gibraltar bring in Sportradar to deliver match-fixing workshops
April 24 – The war on match-fixing continued this week with a series of workshops delivered in Gibraltar, the home of Europe’s off-shore internet gaming industry.
Ajax poised to take control of Amsterdam ArenA
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
April 24 – Ajax Amsterdam aims to acquire a majority stake in the company operating the Amsterdam ArenA where the side plays its home matches. The Dutch club currently has 13% of the shares in the sports facility, while the municipal authorities of Amsterdam hold a 48% stake.
FIFPro meet EU sports chief with player transfer reform top of agenda
April 24 – The president and secretary general of the international players’ union FIFPro have met with the EU’s commissioner for Sport to re-iterate their opposition to the current transfer system.
UEFA get shirty after Guardiola supports ‘Topo’ campaign
April 23 – Despite steering his Bayern side to a stirring 6-1 thrashing of Porto for a 7-4 aggregate Champions League quarterfinal win, Pep Guardiola has fallen foul of UEFA who took exception to a T-shirt he was wearing in the build-up to the game in support of a tragically killed journalist colleague.
Sick new low in racism battle: Silva forced to apologise for being called ‘monkey’
By Alexander Krassimirov
April 23 – CSKA Sofia’s Portuguese winger Toni Silva (pictured) would appear to have been forced into what is a remarkable public statement saying that insulting remarks made to him by the club’s fans (including ‘monkey’ insults) are not racist.
Greeks unmoved by warnings that new sports law will exile their national teams
By Andrew Warshaw
April 23 – The deepening impasse between Greece and football’s governing bodies has intensified after Greek authorities angrily rejected an ultimatum from FIFA and UEFA to stop interfering with football or risk being thrown out of international competition.
Cash crisis bites deep in Romania as FC Brasov struggles to avoid relegation
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
April 22 – In another sign of the worsening condition of Romanian football, FC Brasov has entered insolvency proceedings, and shortly after lost its chief executive.
Fitch report rates football infrastructure as a low(er) risk place for investor cash
By Paul Nicholson
April 22 – Credit ratings agency Fitch Ratings has highlighted the current strength of the sports market in its Infra-Read market briefing newsletter issued from its US offices. The newsletter examines the health of a number of infrastructure sectors but leads its editorial with a focus on sports saying that the explosive growth in sports media rights is driving revenue, flexibility and stability.
Beitar Jerusalem ordered to end racist ban on Arab players
By Mark Baber
April 21 – The Israeli Equal Employment Opportunities Commission has demanded that Beitar Jerusalem retract statements the team’s coach made against Arab players joining the team in a move which highlights the failure of the Israeli Football Federation (IFA) to eliminate racist and apartheid practices within its own leagues, just five weeks before FIFA’s annual conference and the debate on the motion to suspend the IFA over its racist policies towards Palestinians.
CSKA Ultras step up abuse and force players to strip off shirts
By Alexander Krassimirov
April 21 – CSKA Sofia Ultras have taken extreme measures after the team suffered loss. Yesterday CSKA lost to Lokomotiv Sofia and after the game the fans summoned the players to one of the stands of Bulgarska armia stadium.
UEFA will back Israel against Palestinian suspension demands, says IFA
By Andrew Warshaw
April 21 – UEFA president Michel Platini has promised Israel he will do everything he can to stave off a Palestinian bid to suspend them from FIFA, according to Israeli media reports.