UEFA increases women’s grants by 50% and commits to #WhatIf campaign
October 15 – UEFA is boosting its women’s development funding for member associations by an extra €50,000 annually from 2020.
Yes you Kan: UEFA quells Israeli political hysteria over right to broadcast in West Bank
By Andrew Warshaw
October 15 – UEFA has firmly denied reports that it has banned Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan, from televising qualifying games in the disputed occupied territories.
Gibraltar hit the high notes after Armenia play the wrong anthem
October 15 – Tiny Gibraltar, who spent years trying to get FIFA and UEFA recognition, finally won their first competitive game last Friday – but only after being accidentally mistaken for fellow minnows Liechtenstein.
US and Canada secure France 2019 slots, Mexico crash as Panama and Jamaica battle on
October 15 – The US and Canada will contest the final of the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship this Wednesday. Both teams qualify for the France 2019 Women’s World Cup. The final automatic slot for France 2019 will go to either Panama or Jamaica.
Share sale pushes up value of Aussie A-League’s Melbourne Victory to $29m
October 15 – Australian A-League clubs may be financially better positioned than they have been letting on during their governance and financial disputes with their football federation over power and money.
Caribbean clearout: FIFA bans Dominican Republic’s Guzman for 10 years
October 15 – FIFA ethics committee judges have banned the former president of Dominican Republic’s federation for 10 years from all football-related activities at both national and international level.
Van Basten steps down from FIFA technical role
October 15 – Just weeks after taking centre stage at FIFA’s much-trumpeted coaches forum in London to debate tactical and technical trends following the World Cup, Marco van Basten is leaving his role as the organisation’s chief technical development officer at the end of the month.
Belgian police keep nine in custody as second division suspended and investigation deepens
By Samindra Kunti
October 12 – Nine people remain in police custody in the Belgian corruption and match-fixing investigation following raids across the country on Wednesday. The charges range from criminal organisation to money laundering. Meanwhile all second division matches have been postponed this weekend.
Roma report €250m record revenues, but losses of €25m and debt rising to €218m
October 12 – AS Roma has reported draft financial statements for last season showing a record revenue of €250.87 million and a reduction in losses to €25 million, compared to the €42 million the previous year.
DFL trades itself a piece of the sports tech action with new equity investment strategy
October 12 – The Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL) is building an investment portfolio focussed on technology start-ups and SMEs that could have a direct impact on their business.
AFC to debut fourth sub rule at Asian Cup UAE 2019
October 12 – The AFC Asian Cup to be played in the UAE in January next year will introduce the fourth substitution rule in extra time. It will be the first application of the rule by any of the world’s confederations for a senior national team tournament.
Real Madrid, Barca and Bayern prove stable squads are key to success
October 12 – The transfer market might bring monetary riches (usually for a very few) but on-field success is not created annually in the transfer money market but in the establishment of long serving and stable squads, according to the latest analysis by the CIES Football Observatory.
Makudi confident CAS will overturn FIFA ban
October 12 – Former FIFA executive committee member Worawi Makudi is fighting his ban from the global game at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The former Thai strongman is seeking to have the ban lifted as Thai FA elections approach.
LFP expands Fiat sponsorship to include top two leagues as well as League Cup
October 12 – France’s Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) has expanded its deal with Italian car maker Fiat to include the sponsorship of the LFP’s Ligue 1 Conforama and Domino’s Ligue 2. Fiat has been a partner of the BKT League Cup for the past two seasons.
FT Future of Football 2018 conflab heads for Doha, Qatar, next week
October 12 – Doha, Qatar, will host the Financial Times Future of Football 2018 conference on Tuesday next week with the CEOs of the organising committees of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, Alexey Sorokin of Russia and Hassan Al Thawadi of Qatar headlining the speakers.