Paul Nicholson, Author at Inside World Football - Page 1481 of 1894

Andrew Warshaw: A day of two halves

You can take Thursday’s momentous events on both sides of the Atlantic one of two ways. Either you can argue that on the most eagerly anticipated day in its clean-up process, FIFA had its thunder stolen like never before and the rug humiliatingly yanked from under its feet. Or you can argue that the staggering scale and choking stench of corruption unveiled by US attorney general Loretta Lynch within hours of the game-changing reform measures being announced at FIFA headquarters only served to prove that world football’s governing body is at least looking to the future and acknowledges how desperately it needs a complete overhaul.

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Man Utd keeps its TV rhythm going with Caribbean deal

Man Utd and Flow

December 4 – Manchester United is again using its MUTV channel to drive the club’s brand and commercial presence into international markets. Last week it announced a distribution deal into Indonesia, this week it unveiled a partnership with telecoms giant Cable and Wireless Communications for the Caribbean.

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Euro2016 hotel prices in France set for 46% price hike, finds survey

By Samindra Kunti
December 4 – A study by the French consumer organisation QFC-Que Choisir has revealed that hotel rates during EURO2016 are set to skyrocket with rates up 45% on average from €97 to €141 across France.

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Liverpool look sharp as they target Wembley with Hugo Boss

Liverpool-HUGO-BOSS

December 4 – Liverpool under new German manager Jurgen Klopp are starting to look sharp. Wednesday night they slammed six goals past Southampton to book a place in the League Cup semi-final against Stoke.

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US justice battles FIFA head-on in the ‘World Cup of fraud’

Screen Shot 2015-12-04 at 00.30.55

By Paul Nicholson
December 4 – Just when FIFA’s executive committee thought it was safe to return to Zurich for their final meeting of the year – an event that would climax with the eagerly anticipated unveiling of FIFA’s new (and game-changing) reform proposals – football’s now habitual party poopers from the US justice authorities unleashed a second tsunami on the world governing body.

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FIFA tables proposal to expand World Cup to 40 teams

FIFA World Cup

By Andrew Warshaw in Zurich
December 3 – FIFA appears on the verge of agreeing to expand the World Cup from 32 to 40 teams, but has deferred a final decision pending discussions about commercial and organisational ramifications.

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Virgin boss demands 3pm TV kick-offs and #MoreBalls from Premier League

Virgin Media

By Mark Baber
December 3 – With UK television regulator Ofcom’s review of the issue likely to drag on for months, Virgin Media’s chief executive Tom Mockridge has stepped up the campaign for 3pm Saturday kick-offs to be televised with a blog post on the Virgin Media site and briefing for sports journalists.

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Del Nero now faces FIFA probe into ethics violations

Marco Polo del Nero

By Samindra Kunti
December 3 – FIFA’s ethics committee has begun an investigation into the Brazilian FA (CBF) president Marco Polo Del Nero. If guilty Del Nero can expected to be added to an increasingly long list of south American football chiefs either suspended or banned from all football-related activities.

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Hawit and Napout reject US extradition requests

FIFA shadows

By Paul Nicholson
December 3 – Alfredo Hawit and Juan Angel Napout, arrested this morning in dawn raids at the Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich, Switzerland, have both opposed their extradition to the US after hearings given to the Zurich cantonal police this morning.

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FIFA to scrap exco as reform package targets roots and branches

FIFA signage

By Andrew Warshaw in Zurich
December 3 – The timing could not have been more apt. On the day the FIFA corruption scandal escalated dramatically with a second dawn raid in six months and the arrests of two more high-profile footballing figures, so decades of protocol were wiped away with a total overhaul of the way the organisation does business.

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Act global think local: Spurs Foundation delivers £20m of social savings

White Hart lane - new

December 3 – A report into the social impact of the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation on the local community has found that its activities contribute a social cost saving of more than £20 million.

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Stoke City potter along nicely to another profit as club nears £100m turnover

Stoke City

By David Owen
December 3 – Stoke City, the Midlands-based Premier League club controlled by bet365, the online gambling company, has reported a second consecutive annual profit. The club, which has become an established top-tier outfit under first Tony Pulis and now Mark Hughes – and which joins Liverpool, Everton and Manchester City in the semi-finals of this season’s Capital One Cup – posted a pre-tax profit of £5.7 million for the year to May 31,

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New FIFA raids as Swiss police swoop again on exco chiefs in Zurich

Baur au Lac raids

By Paul Nicholson
December 3 – Lightening does strike twice at FIFA. Police for the second time this year swooped on the Baur au Lac Hotel in Zurich in dawn raids this morning arresting two more FIFA executive committee members.

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Bility appeals to CAS in bid to return to FIFA election race

Musa Bility

By Andrew Warshaw
December 3 – Liberian football chief Musa Bility, barred from running for FIFA president, has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in an attempt to get the judgement overturned.

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FIFA deficit may reach $100 million

FIFA signage

By David Owen
December 3 – The crisis engulfing FIFA looks to be taking its toll on the football governing body’s finances, with reports emanating from Zurich on Wednesday night to the effect that the 2015 deficit will be worse than budgeted.