July 28 – The FA Cup, the world’s oldest and most prestigious domestic knockout competition, breaks new ground this coming season with the introduction of a fourth substitute in extra time for the quarterfinals, semi-finals and final.
July 28 – As anticipated, German football supremo Wolfgang Niersbach has decided to appeal his one-year ban over the scandal surrounding possible vote-buying during Germany’s 2006 World Cup bid.
July 28 – Kuwait’s supreme court has upheld the acquittal of Sheikh Ahmad Fahad Al-Sabah – one of the most powerful men in world sport and a prominent Asian representative at FIFA’s top table – on charges of insulting the judiciary.
July 28 – Premier League club Southampton has added African sports betting platform SportPesa as its Official Betting Partner in what the club has described as a signed a “multi-million pound three-year deal”.
By James Dostoyevsky
July 27 – UEFA is finally moving to replace Michel Platini as its president. In mid-September, the European football’s governing body, which organises some of football’s financially most profitable competitions, will have to chose between three men from three different backgrounds.
July 27 – FIFA’s increasingly difficult diplomatic attempts to mediate in the ongoing spat between Israel and Palestine over free movement of Palestinian footballers and equipment have been highlighted yet again with reports that Israel intervened to hinder the Palestine Cup, one of the region’s most anticipated competitions.
July 27 – More than 50 fans of Beitar Jerusalem, the club that contains the most notorious group of hooligans in Israeli football, have been rounded up following a series of police raids.
July 27 – Nottingham Forest, subject of a bid from controversial Greek businessman and Olympiakos owner Evangelos Marinakis, has been hit with a capacity reduction of their City Ground stadium of 20% for safety reasons.
July 27 – Controversial Spanish FA president Angel Maria Villar Llona says he plans to seek re-election at home later this year if he fails in his bid to become UEFA president.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 27 – Gianni Infantino’s working visit to Nigeria this week was somewhat overshadowed by an ongoing domestic spat demanding the resignation of Nigeria Football Federation president Amaju Pinnick.
July 27 – FIFA have confirmed the worldwide extension of the two-year ban imposed on the vice-president of the Equatorial Guinea Football Association, Gustavo Ndong Edu, for match-fixing.
July 27 – Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain has become the world’s third most expensive footballer after signing for Juventus form from Napoli for €90 million. The fee is also the biggest Italian domestic deal of all time.
July 27 – With the AFC Futsal Club Championship having finished at the weekend with a climatic 6-5 win on penalties for Japan’s Nagoya Oceans over Iraq’s NAFIT Al-Wasat, the tournament stats have now been reported and show record breaking numbers for the Bangkok, Thailand, hosted event.
July 27 – South Korean tyre manufacturer Kumho has added a second European football club to its sponsorship portfolio, becoming the official tyre partner of French Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyonnais.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 26 – Gianni Infantino may be embroiled in allegations about ethics violations but away from the firing line he is making it his business to solicit the goodwill of those who voted for him to become FIFA president.