Paul Nicholson, Author at Inside World Football - Page 1507 of 1907

Matt Scott: Klopp teams work hard. But rigour alone can never attain high virtue

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“Pacience is an heigh vertu, certeyn, For it venquysseth… Thyneges that rigour sholde nevere atteyne.” Geoffrey Chaucer, the Franklin’s Tale

The Franklin was the 20th of Chaucer’s pilgrims to give his tale and, like so many of his fellow travellers en route to Canterbury, he gave forth on the secrets of success in love. Thus did England’s earliest literary great teach us a lesson about the virtues of patience.

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Belgians ponder claim for bid losses over 2018 World Cup bid vote

Francois De Keersmacker

By Samindra Kunti
November 3 – The Belgian FA KBVB is considering launching a claim for damages at FIFA after Sepp Blatter’s revelations about a possible fixed agreement to award the 2018 FIFA World Cup to Russia.

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Dutch bank healthy €6.8m but miss out on Euro2016 upside

KNVB Campus

By Samindra Kunti
November 3 – The Dutch FA KNVB made a profit of €6.8 million during the 2014/15 season. Holland’s absence at Euro2016 will not threaten the financial health of the organisation but will impact future investment.

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Frontier controversy over Hong Kong vs China stadium and anthem

China poster

By Mark Baber
November 2 – A row has erupted in Hong Kong over the upcoming world cup qualifier against China. In the first leg Hong Kong fans booed the national anthem, for the second leg the match has been switched to the Mong Kok Stadium (capacity 6,679) in place of the Hong Kong stadium (capacity 40,000).

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Figo bangs the UEFA drum for Infantino

Figo bows out

By Andrew Warshaw
November 2 – Luis Figo, who bid for the FIFA presidency last time round until withdrawing before the ballot, has given his backing to UEFA stand-in candidate Gianni Infantino for the February 26 vote.

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German pressure mounts on Niersbach to quit over €6.7m ‘loan’

Wolfgang Niersback

November 2 – As German football authorities continue to come under pressure over the vote-buying slush fund allegations which they have strongly denied, a senior German politician has entered the debate by suggesting DFB president Wolfgang Niersbach should consider resigning.

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Russia 2018: Luzhniki ahead of schedule, Kazan to open, Nizhny dig deep

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By Paul Nicholson
November 2 – Russia’s 2018 preparations are ramping up with reports that the redevelopment of the Luzhniki stadium which will host the opening match and the final is ahead of schedule while elsewhere infrastructure projects are gathering pace with the Nizhny Novgorod regional government announcing it has allocated Ruble 1.9 billion for a subway link to its stadium.

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Brasilia cash crisis threatens hosting of 2016 Olympic matches

Mane Garrincha

By Samindra Kunti
November 2 – The Brazilian capital Brasilia is in danger of missing out as a host city for the Olympic football tournament as the city’s dire economic situation may prevent it from signing the required contracts.

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Kompany sings off the same anti-UEFA hymn sheet as Man City fans

Vincent Kompany

November 2 – Manchester City’s Belgian captain Vincent Kompany has described as “a joke” UEFA’s decision to launch an investigation into the booing of the Champions League anthem by the club’s supporters.

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Sexwale joins Securing Sport 2015 line-up in New York

Tokyo Sexwale

By Paul Nicholson
November 2 – Delegates heading for the Securing Sport 2015 conference in New York that starts Tuesday will hear from one of the candidates for the FIFA presidency. Former South African government minister and anti-apartheid campaigner Tokyo Sexwale will give a keynote speech on the opening day, his first since declaring his candidacy.

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Palermo links up with Russian currency trader

Palermo ad Instarforex

By David Owen
November 1 – US Città di Palermo, the Sicily-based Serie A club, has acquired an official ‘Global Forex and Binary Options’ partner. The club – known for its pink and black, ‘the sad and the sweet’, colours, adopted in 1905 – has paired up with InstaForex, an online currency, metals and index-trading specialist headquartered in one of the planned 2018 FIFA World Cup host-cities, Kaliningrad.

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David Owen: FIFA maths primer for the big presidential vote

It is doubtless not the smartest move to begin a column you hope one or two people might actually read in the style of an IQ test or a maths exam. Just this once, however, I am going to chance it.

Mihir Bose

Mihir Bose: So what exactly did Blatter and Platini agree on Russia 2018 and why?

Sepp Blatter’s revelation that there was a deal in the FIFA executive, and in particular with Michel Platini, to vote for Russia for the 2018 World Cup and Qatar for 2022 has raised a hue and cry that the vote was a fix with Greg Dyke demanding the return of the £21 million England spent on the bid. The assumption is that the vote was bent and therefore the election invalid.

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Exclusive: Beckenbauer hit with new 2006 vote buying claims over Bayern trip to Malta

Franz Beckenbauer4

By Andrew Warshaw
October 31 – The much-publicised slush fund allegations surrounding Germany’s hosting of the 2006 World Cup have exploded into fresh controversy amid claims that Franz Beckenbauer, who led the country’s bid, may have personally endorsed a financial inducement to Malta just weeks before its FIFA member was about to vote.

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Salman adamant there was no Bahraini ‘sports’ task force investigating protestors

Shaikh Salman11

By Paul Nicholson
October 30 – AFC president and FIFA presidential candidate Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has issued a stinging rebuke of the reports that he led a task force that identified and prosecuted footballers active in Bahrain’s democracy protests in 2011.