VW stays parked with their German Cup sponsorship through to 2022
March 22 – Scandal-hit Volkswagen has agreed to extend its sponsorship of the German national cup for six years until 2022.
Qatar 2022: Bedouin tents to offer fans that authentic World Cup experience
March 22 – Organisers of the 2022 Qatar World Cup are considering the option of housing fans under the stars in Bedouin-style super-tents.
FIFA extend ban worldwide on Algerian drug takers
March 22 – FIFA has extended four-year bans to apply worldwide for two Algerian players who tested positive for cocaine. And a third player who was found to have taken the stimulant methylhexaneamine has also had his four-year ban extended globally.
Sierra Leone return to international football boosted with sports ministry cull
By Andrew Warshaw
March 21 – Of all the upcoming fixtures in this week’s international programme, few will have the same resonance as Sierra Leone ‘s symbolic friendly with Malawi, the first on home soil since the west African country was officially declared free of Ebola.
Neymar gets guilty verdict for tax fraud and told to stump up €45.9m
By Samindra Kunti
March 21 – Brazil and Barcelona player Neymar has been convicted of tax fraud and ordered to pay €45.9 million in fines and back-taxes.
FIFA and UEFA tell Greek government to end Cup ban and threaten suspension
By Andrew Warshaw
March 21 – FIFA and UEFA have joined forces to warn Greece to reinstate the national cup competition, scrapped by the government earlier this month because of crowd trouble, or risk being thrown out of international football.
Messi rings up more sponsorship cash with Huawei deal
March 21 – While Barcelona teammate Neymar is contemplating his €45.9 million fine for tax evasion in Brazil, Lionel Messi – no stranger to multiple tax fraud allegations himself – was signing on another sponsorship deal, this time with Chinese telecoms firm Huawei.
Wenger wins longevity league; Italians change managers as frequently as their socks
March 21 – The most dangerous league in Europe to be a manager – in terms of job security in the Big 5 leagues – is Italy’s Serie A. Managers last on average just 9 months, compared to 14.5 months in England’s Premier League.
Lidl activates grassroots sponsorship in Scotland
March 21 – German discount supermarket chain Lidl, which last November announced three-year sponsorship deals with the English, Scottish and Welsh Football Associations, has begun activation of that sponsorship in Scotland with an event at lesser Hampden in Glasgow.
Turks call off Istanbul derby after security threat
March 21 – One of European football’s most bitterly contested derbies was called off Sunday when Turkish authorities cancelled the Galatasaray-Fenerbahçe clash in Istanbul about two hours before kickoff citing an unspecified threat.
China’s Wanda puts its money where its ambition is with major FIFA sponsorship
By Andrew Warshaw
March 18 – With symbolic timing in order to send out a clear message of intent, FIFA announced its first major sponsor in the post-Sepp Blatter era today as the Wanda Group became the first Chinese company to sign up as a top-tier World Cup partner.
Swiss prosecutors now open Valcke investigation
By Andrew Warshaw
March 18 – A month after being handed a 12-year ban from football, former FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke has now joined his former boss Sepp Blatter under criminal investigation in Switzerland.
FIFA takes $100m+ sponsorship hit, but picture on TV income remains bright
By David Owen
March 18 – The full scale of the financial damage wreaked by FIFA’s year of turmoil is now becoming apparent. Revenue from marketing rights to the World Cup – sponsorship to you and me – is down over $100 million, or 29%, in 2015 from the equivalent figure in 2011, the corresponding point in the previous four-year commercial cycle.
FIFA discloses $122m loss – and Blatter’s $3m+ pay package
By David Owen
March 18 – And the answer, ladies and gentlemen, was $3,634,857. With the annual deficit widely expected, much the liveliest interest in FIFA’s just published 2015 financial report was always likely to concern disclosure of former President Joseph Blatter’s famously undisclosed remuneration. And there it is in unsparing detail on page 65, revealing not just his gross salary – $2,964,379 – but also how a variety of additional components,
Final roll of the dice? Blatter goes to CAS to get his name cleared
March 18 – He may not be able to get his old job back but Sepp Blatter remains determined to clear his name in retirement.