By Mark Baber
October 14 – The Indian Super League held an extravagant Bollywood/footballing extravaganza on Sunday to open the long-awaited start of the new competition which aims to awaken the “sleeping giant” of Indian football. Amidst all the hype, voices of caution advised of the difficulties involved in building fan bases from scratch, in a cricket obsessed country and warned of the historical precedent of similar ventures in the USA.
By Paul Nicholson
October 14 – Italy’s Lega Pro are the latest to renew their match-fixing monitoring and prevention partnership with Sportradar. The league has also taken their commitment to fight match-fixing a step further with a logo emphasising ‘Lega Pro-Integrity’ being carried on the league’s official match ball.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 14 – Michael Garcia, whose report into possible corruption surrounding the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids is dominating the football politics landscape, is back on the offensive, declaring that FIFA’s way of conducting its business is not open enough and needs a culture change.
October 14 – UEFA’s improving relationship with Europe’s major clubs has taken another turn for the better after “constructive” talks over financial fair play.
By Ben Nicholson
October 14 – Just a fortnight after Sacramento Republic FC won the USL Pro Championship, the second tier of US professional football, the club has added an impressive list of local investors to its shareholder roster. The capital of California is chasing the final MLS expansion spot and the new stakeholders boost the club’s financial credentials in terms of local support for their venture.
October 14 – This weekend the Homeless World Cup kicks off in Santiago, Chile, in a week-long tournament with 43 nations competing in the men’s competition and 13 in the women’s. The Chile event will be the 12th edition of the competition.
October 14 – Portuguese national coach Fernando Santos has had his eight match ban suspended while his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is considered.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 13 – A second Greek Cypriot player is reported to have transferred to the Turkish-controlled north of the divided island in another success for supporters of re-unification.
By David Owen
October 12 – Mia Hamm has added her voice to calls for FIFA to take steps to enable next year’s women’s World Cup in Canada to be played on a natural surface.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 13 – The head of the European Club Association, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (pictured), representing some 200 clubs across the continent has added his voice to the growing concern over Third Party Ownership but says phasing it out of the transfer market will take years and may ultimately prove nigh-on impossible.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 13 – Asian football has chosen the first week of May next year for its eagerly anticipated presidential election, ending months of uncertainty about a firm date.
By Paul Nicholson
October 10 – Turning connections into cash is the holy grail for most companies in social media. But big numbers of likes and followers are often just that, big numbers. Digital is more than just social media and clubs are increasingly looking for a financial return from their digital investment.
October 10 – CONCACAF has announced it will host a two-day women’s football seminar October 25-26, in Philadelphia, coinciding with the semi-finals and final of the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
October 10 – SC Freiburg has unveiled plans to invest €70 million in the construction of a new stadium, which will be co-financed by the city of Freiburg. The Bundesliga club is aiming to launch the project in 2015, it said in a statement.
By Ben Nicholson
October 10 – The New York Red Bulls have been granted a hearing with the Supreme Court of New Jersey to settle its tax dispute with the Town of Harrison. The club is seeking reimbursement for tax paid on its Red Bull Arena, claiming exemption is statutorily permitted.