Barca boss Bartomeu says Neymar is history, but not all the €222m will go on new players
August 8 – Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has broken his silence over the manner in which Neymar left the club for Paris St-Germain.
Aberdeen face UEFA sanction after team and fans lose the plot
August 8 – UEFA have opened disciplinary proceedings against Aberdeen and Apollon Limassol following crowd trouble at their recent Europa Cup tie.
Peace party heads to Aus to broker deal in FFA vs clubs row
August 8 – The bitter internal dispute between Football Federation Australia (FFA) and Australia’s A-League clubs reaches a pivotal stage this week as a joint FIFA-Asian Football Confederation delegation arrives for talks aimed at resolving the impasse.
Sierra Leone chaos as stakeholders demand emergency congress for this week
August 8 – Members of the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA), who are also referred to as football stakeholders, are demanding an emergency extraordinary congress within three days’ time amid the chaos and confusion engulfing the country’s warring footballing factions.
FA report clears England women’s manager of bullying charge
August 8 – The manager of the England women’s team, Mark Sampson (pictured), has been cleared of any wrongdoing after one his star players Eniola Aluko made a complaint to the Football Association about “bullying and harassment”.
HDI to ride on the shirt sleeve of Hannover 96
August 8 – German insurance group HDI has become the shirt sleeve sponsor of Bundesliga club Hannover 96. HDI is already holds the naming rights to the club’s stadium, a sponsorship it secured in 2013.
FIFA keeps Johansen in place as SLFA takes slow route to new elections
By Andrew Warshaw
August 7 – The bitter divisions within Sierra Leone football have taken an intriguing twist with FIFA giving Isha Johansen the green light to remain as interim federation president even though her mandate has expired.
Iran ‘condemns’ two club players for facing Maccabi Tel Aviv in Europa League play off
August 7 – In another depressing illustration of how political ideology infiltrates football, Iran’s FA has denounced two Iranians contracted to a Greek side for competing against an Israeli team.
Sarcozy business dealings dragged into French corruption investigation
By Andrew Warshaw
August 7 – Time after time when quizzed on the subject, former UEFA president and later FIFA presidential candidate Michel Platini repeatedly denied suggestions he had voted for Qatar to stage the 2022 World Cup under pressure from the French government.
Dutch deliver a golden tournament of record numbers for Women’s Euros
By Samindra Kunti
August 7 – Hosts the Netherlands provided their perfect ending to Euro 2017 defeating Denmark 4-2 in the final on Sunday to be crowned European champions for the first time. Star striker Vivianne Miedema scored twice.
Match abandoned as Burnley vs Hannover friendly turns nasty
August 7 – A police officer was forced to go to hospital with a head injury and a steward suffered a dislocated shoulder as a weekend pre-season fixture between an English and a German club was abandoned.
Opel deal with Dortmund becomes eighth Bundesliga club sleeve sponsorship
August 7 – German carmaker Opel has extended and expanded its deal with Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund for a another five years. Opel will have its logo on the sleeve of the Dortmund shirt and will have increased branding and marketing activation throughout the club.
Man City launch new free digital membership platform for Cityzens
August 7 – Manchester City have launched a new free digital fan engagement platform that will personalise their interaction with the club and target fans with offers and information relative to their location and interests.
Olympiacos renews support of UNICEF child mortality campaign
August 7 – Leading Greek club Olympiacos FC has renewed its support of UNICEF and particularly its contribution to UNICEF’s immunisation programme for children to help prevent child mortality from preventable diseases.
Liberia’s Bility accused of ‘callously feasting’ on FIFA money and leaving staff unpaid
By Paul Nicholson
August 4 – Liberia’s national team coaches have been unpaid for eight months, while its women’s football co-ordinator has not been paid for a year. This is despite FIFA having sent Liberia millions in grant money and FIFA having been repeatedly asked to conduct a forensic audit into the activities of controversial Liberian FA president Musa Bility (pictured) and the distribution of FIFA cash.