By Mark Baber
July 14 – Manchester United and Adidas have agreed the biggest ever deal in sports licensing history as the German sportswear giant will sponsor the United kit as technical sponsor and dual branded licensing partner. The deal is for a minimum of £75 million ($128 million) a year for the next ten years, beginning with the 2015-2016 season.
By Mark Baber
July 14 – FIFA have confirmed that Luis Suárez cannot participate in an unveiling event at Barcelona as, “he cannot be in a football-related event irrespective of venue.” Meanwhile Adidas, his main sponsor, look likely to stick with the player.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 14 – FIFA have made their first public comment on the ongoing World Cup ticketing scandal saying they fully support their long-term partner Byrom and its wholly owned subsidiary Match Services AG against the allegations concerning Match’s British accommodation chief Ray Whelan who is at the centre of an investigation by Brazilian authorities.
By David Owen
July 12 – As attention now switches to the new crop of club shirt deals – and Manchester United £600 million kit sponsor chase looks like the next ‘big’ one on the horizon – the 2014 World Cup Battle of the Brands drew to a close in Brazil this weekend with an all-Nike third-place play-off, followed by an all-Adidas final.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 14 – The choice of Lionel Messi as the recipient of the Golden Ball award as the best player at the World Cup was somewhat controversial after an in-and-out performance by the Argentine maestro in Sunday’s showpiece finale.
July 14 – Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has quit following his country’s World Cup disaster, according to Brazilian media including leading broadcaster Globo TV.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 14 – If ever the expression ‘good things comes to those who wait’ is applicable to football, look no further than Germany’s thoroughly deserved World Cup triumph in the Maracana on Sunday night. A repetition of their semi-final humiliation of hosts Brazil was never likely against a resolute, spirited Argentina team who had the better chances yet didn’t record a single shot on target, Lionel Messi being one of the culprits.
July 14 – The Ghanaian government has dismissed the claims made by Ghanaian asylum seekers in Brazil that there is reason to flee the nation due to religious conflict.
“You make your own luck.” A saying that is sometimes true, sometimes designed to push you to do your best and sometimes…it’s nonsense.
But I’m intrigued by the role luck plays in life, in football, in World Cups.
As football has become a business, so coaching has become increasingly like a game of chess. Coaches posing as grandmasters, players often pawns, the straightforward approach of inviting a player to go out and PLAY looking increasingly over-simplistic,
By Andrew Warshaw
July 12 – If a hurt and bruised host nation thought it couldn’t get any worse, the sight of Argentina’s players emerging for Sunday’s World Cup final will dig the knife in even deeper. Especially at Rio de Janeiro’s ‘s iconic Maracana stadium.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 11 – Canada is hoping to use next year’s Women’s World Cup as a springboard to bidding for the men’s equivalent in 2026 when in theory it should be CONCACAF’s turn to host.
July 11 – South America vs Europe, The two dominant confederations have found their regional representatives for the final winner takes all match-up in the Maracana this Sunday.
July 11 – It wasn’t meant to be like this. The World Cup was planned to be a triumphal march through Brazil for the Seleção, ending at the Maracana for the grand finale at the grandest of football venues. Instead they meet Holland in Brasilia for the third placed play off Saturday. Wake, party or just time for Brazil to wake up?
July 11 – Still reeling from its World Cup humiliation, Brazil now has its most iconic female player demanding greater emphasis on the women’s game in the country.
July 11 – FIFA will appoint a temporary “normalisation” committee to run Gambian football until new federation elections are held. The move comes after the current Gambian Football Federation (GFF) board “lost the confidence of several major stakeholders.”