Europa tie abandoned when Legia player floored by stone
July 31 – A Europa league qualifier between FK Kukesi of Albania and Legia Warsaw was abandoned Thursday when a Legia player was struck by a stone thrown from the crowd.
Author: Paul Nicholson
WATCH the EAFF East Asian Cup LIVE here as China, Japan, South Korea and North Korea battle for title
The Insideworldfootball LIVE MATCH CHANNEL continues this weekend with the start of the EAFF East Asian Cup tournament from Wuhan, China. We have every match from both men’s and women’s competitions live. Japan, South Korea, China and North Korea are the qualified teams in both finals competitions. The women kick off Saturday August 1 with North Korea against World Cup finalists Japan, followed by China vs South Korea (http://www.insideworldfootball.com/watch-live-football/eaff-womens). The men kick off the following day with North Korea vs Japan and China vs South Korea (http://www.insideworldfootball.com/watch-live-football).
Andrew Warshaw: FIFA’s shifting sands turn friends into foes in race for the summit
You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. But if things don’t work out, I’ll willingly scratch someone else’s. Welcome to the world of shifting allegiances and alliances that have become the hallmark of footballing presidential elections.
Greeks send 85 to trial for match-fixing, but Olympiakos boss clears first round
By Mark Baber
July 31 – A Council of Appeals ruled Thursday that 85 out of a possible 158 original defendants should go on trial for a variety of offences related to the match-fixing scandal of 2010-11, including membership of a criminal organisation, bribery, manipulation of results and illegal betting.
Zenit rack up huge losses, while Anzhi go down but profits go up
By Alexander Krassimirov
July 31 – Russian champion Zenit St. Petersburg has recorded colossal losses for the season ending 2014 according to the annual report of SPARK – Interfax. Despite winning the title in Russia, Zenit’s loss amounted to 5.2 billion rubles ($86 million). In 2013 Zenit’s losses were only 320 million rubles ($5.3 million).
Gambian refugee scores 4 in bid to secure his Bundesliga home
July 31 – An 18-year-old asylum seeker from Gambia is the talk of German football after scoring four times in his first match as a second-half substitute for Werder Bremen.
Platini gathers Euro support but Africa and Americas not convinced
By Andrew Warshaw
July 31 – Claims that Michel Platini is already odds-on favourite to win the FIFA presidency on February 26 is being tested by some choice remarks from CONCACAF, purportedly one of four confederations behind him, and by Africa.
Hawit to lead CONCACAF refereeing review
By Paul Nicholson
July 31 – CONCACAF has moved swiftly to set up a review of its refereeing department following the bitter and very public complaints of Panama and Costa Rica about the standard of officiating at the just completed Gold Cup.
Martin Volkmar: Platini and the domino effect
The candidacy of Michel Platini for FIFA president could have far-reaching consequences – especially for German football.
Down but not out. CSKA sign kit deal with Lotto
By Alexander Krassimirov
July 31 – They may have been dropped to the amateur leagues and non-professional status, but Bulgaria’s CSKA Sofia is still pulling in commercial interest and has signed a contract with Italian sportswear company Lotto. The appareil brand will replace another Italian company, Legea.
Garber muses on video replays, All-Star revamp and the long awaited Becks franchise
By Ben Nicholson
July 31 – MLS Commissioner Don Garber took the opportunity at the recent MLS All-Star game to show that, on the league’s 20th anniversary season, the MLS is a forward thinking enterprise. His half time comments indicated the league is seeking to evolve with technological growth and its own popularity growth.
Spurs sign with Mondogoal for new season fantasy game
July 30 – Premier League Tottenham Hotspur are to launch a club branded Fantasy Football game with fantasy sports platform developer Mondogoal for the start of the new season.
Ludogorets follow up stadium build with training camp revamp
By Alexander Krassimirov
July 30 – Bulgarian champions Ludogorets are building for the future and have launched a new stage in the modernisation of their training facilities, just a few months after the club from Razgrad opened a new grandstand at its stadium.
AFC Bournemouth expands Vitality deal at renamed Dean Court
By Mark Baber
July 30 – Premier League newcomers AFC Bournemouth have agreed a stadium naming rights deal with health care provider Vitality, part of South Africa-based Discovery Limited. The 11,700-capacity Dean Court, the smallest ground ever in the Premier League, will be called the Vitality Stadium.
Serbian MPs propose ways to combat match-fixing, including club privatisation
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
July 30 – Serbian Members of Parliament (MPs) have been discussing measures to combat match-fixing which has plagued the top tier of the country’s league. Some of the proposals put forward by local politicians include the much-awaited privatisation of state-owned clubs, introducing stricter regulations, as well as suspending the league.