Mali and Guinea live in hope but bemoan luck of the draw
January 29 – The respective coaches of Mali and Guinea have criticised the drawing of lots to decide which of them progresses in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Author: Paul Nicholson
Sierra Leone government backs Johansen against rebel takeover
January 29 – The Sierra Leone government is backing the country’s present football regime against the threat of a takeover by a rebel group pushing for change.
Van Praag says he wants just one term as FIFA’s chief
By Andrew Warshaw
January 29 – FIFA presidential candidate Michael van Praag has spelled out precisely why he is challenging Sepp Blatter and has named the federations who are backing his nomination.
John Yan: Chinese money’s global football reach 足球资本，逐利而行
In the same week Team China played against Australia in the quarter-final of the Asian Cup, more financial news related to Chinese international investments in football came out: three European acquisitions, as well as Guangzhou Evergrande FC’s purchase of Brazilian international players.
Bookie makes Blatter a hotter favourite than Arkle
By David Owen
January 29 – It has blossomed into the most densely-populated FIFA Presidential election for at least four decades. Yet for all the big names and razzmatazz it remains, to all intents and purposes, a one-horse race.
Mayne-Nicholls pulls out of challenge for FIFA presidency
By Andrew Warshaw
January 28 – Harold Mayne-Nicholls became the first prospective FIFA presidential candidate to pull of the race to take on Sepp Blatter today – 24 before the deadline for nominations. On the same day Portuguese icon Luis Figo announced his was standing, Mayne-Nicholls told a televised news conference that he had decided against doing the same because he simply didn’t have the necessary credentials.
Lee Wellings: Too black to coach?
How many of the coaches at the Africa Cup of Nations are black? Three. How many coaches in the world’s most watched, celebrated, multicultural league, the Premier League, are black? That’s right. None. Do these figures sounds acceptable to you?
Barca ponder future of Qatar Airways sponsorship deal
By Mark Baber
January 28 – Barcelona president Jorep Maria Bartomeu has told Catalan media that the club is considering alternatives to their kit deal with the Qatar Foundation over the worsening “social and political situation” in the Gulf state.
Prince Ali gently breaks silence and welcomes van Praag to the race
By Andrew Warshaw
January 28 – FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein has reacted with deliberate diplomacy to this week’s announcement by Dutch football chief Michael van Praag that he, too, is vying to take over from Sepp Blatter in May.
Player wage crisis: FIFPro holds urgent talks to secure better terms for players
By Andrew Warshaw
January 28 – The international players’ union FIFPro is holding a crisis session of its members in Greece today and tomorrow after negotiations to overhaul the transfer system broke down.
Africans keep faith in Blatter for another term at the top
January 28 – African countries, keen to maintain the level of developments funding they receive, will remain steadfastly behind Sepp Blatter in the forthcoming FIFA presidential election campaign.
Qatar reiterates it can host summer or winter as it builds its sport credentials
By Samindra Kunti
January 28 – Nasser Al-Khater, the executive director of communications and marketing at the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee repeated his confidence that Qatar will host a good World Cup in 2022, whether it is in the winter or summer. He also rebuffed all criticism aimed at the Emirate, saying it is time to move on.
Matt Scott: Manchester United and their Messi set of accounts
“Whether it’s a [world] record or not doesn’t really resonate with us. What resonates is an elite player that the manager wants who is going to be a star for Manchester United.” Ed Woodward
Manchester United’s executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward, has been pretty forthright about Manchester United’s transfer-market punch. His words have coincided with coquettish comments from the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi about how uncertain are their futures at Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Legia launches €2m investment fund to finance new transfers
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
January 28 – Legia Warsaw has collected €2 million from a group of investors with the aim of financing new transfers in the current window. The Polish club aims to repay its investors with the profits which are to be generated once the footballers are transferred to other clubs, according to Dariusz Mioduski (pictured), the majority shareholder of Legia Warsaw.
Top Eleven adds Mourinho and revamps graphics for 2015 game launch
January 28 – Computer game maker Nordeus has released the 2015 version of its Top Eleven football management game for tablets, iOS and android platforms. The new version has a number of upgrades from 2014 and comes with Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho’s marketing endorsement.