BSkyB shares plummet as investors switched off by mega TV deal
By Matt Scott
February 11 – As the champagne corks were being swept from the floors of Premier League club boardrooms this morning, Sky shareholders were scrambling for the exit.
Young Gunners outpunch River Plate to make semis, alongside AC Milan
February 11 – Arsenal and AC Milan qualified for the semi-finals of the Al Kass International Cup in Doha, Qatar. Arsenal, who survived everything their Argentine opponents could throw at them – including punches and kicks at the final whistle – will meet either Paris St Germain or holders Aspire International in the next round on Friday. AC Milan will meet either Real Madrid or Sao Paulo.
Martens quits Belgian FA after financial losses trigger questions
By Samindra Kunti
February 10 – Steven Martens has resigned as CEO of the Belgian FA after a reign of four years. His position had become untenable after allegations of financial mismanagement.
New £5.1bn TV deal shows Premier League bubble has still not burst
By David Owen
February 10 – Premier League club revenues are set to soar for the rest of the decade after the top tier of English football on Tuesday unveiled a colossal new £5 billion-plus domestic rights deal. The figure represents an increase of some 70% over the league’s current domestic deal until the end of next season. This in turn was up 70% on the 2010-13 total, reflecting the arrival of telephone company BT as a major buyer of popular sports content.
Egypt: blame game begins as the fans bury their dead
By Mark Baber
February 10 – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi issued a statement of sorrow for the deaths of Zamalek fans outside the Air Defense stadium on Sunday, extending his condolences to the families of the victims.
Man City says time will tell with Android Watch app
February 10 – Cutting edge technology is slowly working its way into stadiums worldwide, particularly as clubs and stadium operators start to understand the content and data possibilities available to them. Manchester City took this a step further last weekend with the launch of an app that will deliver match day information and breaking news to Android Watches.
Chinese Wanda waves its wonga and buys €1bn Infront sports rights agency
By David Owen
February 10 – Another high profile Chinese investment in international sport has been unveiled, with the announcement on Tuesday that Wang Jianlin’s Dalian Wanda Group has reached a deal to acquire Infront Sports & Media from the private equity firm Bridgepoint for €1.05 billion.
Prince Ali beats the reform drum over reform report ‘interference’
By Andrew Warshaw
February 10 – Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan, one of the three candidates vying to take over from FIFA president Sepp Blatter, is the latest official to express his concern at FIFA allegedly changing a key independent report into reform of the organisation.
Qatar target AFC seat on FIFA exco
By Andrew Warshaw
February 10 – Qatar’s 2022 World Cup chief organiser Hassan al-Thawadi, who failed in 2013 to win a seat on FIFA’s executive committee, has decided not to stand again.
Final four pass inspection. Let the presidential race begin…again
February 10 – Sepp Blatter and the three candidates vying to dethrone him have been successfully vetted, making them eligible to officially battle for the presidency of FIFA on May 29.
Mutko poised to impose foreign player quotas on Russian clubs
February 10 – Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko has said that he will be submitting a bill on quotas of foreign players this week. The draft law will outline eligibility criteria for players which will include age, proof of standard of the player and terms of their employment and length of stay in Russia.
Russian Roublette: clubs face FFP meltdown
By Paul Nicholson
February 10 – Russian clubs hoping to get a break in the financial fair play rules because the ruble has effectively halved in value over the past five months have been told by UEFA there will be no concessions in the regulations.
Death toll mounts as Egyptian government suspends Premier League
By Mark Baber
February 9 – Egypt’s government has ordered the suspension of all Egyptian Premier League matches in the country after at least 22 fans were killed and many more injured outside the Air Defence stadium on Sunday, prior to the game between Cairo clubs Zamalek and ENPPI. Some reports now put the death toll at over 40.
Romanian club crisis deepens as Petrolul Ploiesti is sixth club to go bust
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
February 9 – Petrolul Ploiesti has filed for insolvency as the Romanian club’s financial base has become unstable following the arrest of its owners and management. The side is representative of a wider trend plaguing Romania’s football, with five other major clubs filing for insolvency earlier.
Ghost of ISL scandal returns to bite FIFA, as reform emails leaked
By Andrew Warshaw
February 9 – FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s chief legal adviser faces allegations of watering down a key report into reform recommendations in order to spare Blatter from potentially damaging criticism.