By Ben Nicholson
August 11 – Although the MLS is deep into its regular season, US youth soccer seasons are soon to start again, in line with the conventional European calendar. And as the youth teams gear up, they will be adjusting to the new player development initiatives that the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) has established.
August 11 – Manchester United are exploiting the increasingly influential Asian commercial market by announcing a partnership with Korean-based online games developer and publisher, Nexon, bringing the club closer to the 15 million followers it has in the country.
August 11 – Tyre manufacturer Continental has signed up to sponsor the Copa do Brasil, the Brazilian Cup organized by the Brazilian Football Confederation CBF.
August 11 – A German Cup first-round tie between third division VfL Osnabruck and RB Leipzig was abandoned in the 71st minute on Monday after the referee was struck by a lighter thrown from a section of the crowd.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 11 – The pre-season march of English Premier League clubs through the US has paid off with American broadcaster NBC announcing it has struck a deal to show live Premier League games for the next six years, extending its current contract until 2022.
August 11 – Two Ukrainian lawmakers, Andriy Kozhemiakin and Andriy Pavelko (pictured), the latter president of the country’s football federation, have registered a bill in parliament that would criminalise corruption and eradicate match-fixing.
By Paul Nicholson
August 11 – Arsenal may have stumbled in their opening match and their bid to win the Premier League but they still top the Premier League Twitter table of most followers. Their biggest danger lies not from second placed Chelsea but Manchester United who spent the summer gaining followers at a rapid pace.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 10 – FIFA is understood to be on the verge of officially announcing the various representatives on its much-touted Reform Task Force which it hopes will bring about much-needed change to the way the organisation is both run and perceived.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
August 10 – Zbigniew Boniek (pictured), the president of the Polish Football Association (PZPN) and former Polish international with spells at Roma and Juventus, has spurred controversy with a string of negative tweets criticising Never Again (Nigdy Wiecej), a Polish anti-racist association which cooperates with the anti-discrimination group FARE.
By Mark Baber
August 10 – Sunday’s second leg of the historic cup final between Al-Ahly, the top team in the West Bank and Gaza’s champion Shejaia was called off by the Palestinian Football Federation on Friday as Israel denied entry permits to seven of the Gaza party, including four players, whom it demanded be subjected to questioning.
August 10 – It looked lined up to be the Gold Cup final in July, but it never happened once Jamaica knocked out the US in the semi-final. Now the US and local rivals Mexico will have the chance to kick a ball in competitive anger with the winners taking the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup berth.
August 10 – Whether you love him or loathe him, few would argue against Jose Mourinho’s tag as the best manager in the Premiership and Chelsea have been quick to ward off any potential suitors by giving the Portuguese a new contract in his second spell at the club.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 10 – Marseille are looking for a new coach after one solitary game of the new French season. Marcelo Bielsa stunned supporters by announcing his resignation within minutes of their opening-day Ligue 1 defeat by Caen having just started his second campaign in charge.
August 10 – Police in Germany are investigating an unprovoked attack on a Bundesliga team bus which was on its way to pick up players travelling to an away game.
Have we hit peak Sheikh? That was a question being posed in the luxury hotel bars of Kuala Lumpur last week during the 128th International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session.