Puma extends Elephants deal through to 2015
By Mark Baber
November 7 – German sportswear company Puma has extended its contract with the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) for a further four years from January 2015.
Author: Paul Nicholson
Exclusive: Mayne-Nicholls gains support for FIFA race but waiting before declaring
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
November 7 – Harold Mayne-Nicholls, the former Chilean FA president who announced last month that he was considering taking on Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency, says he will make a final decision in the New Year even though Blatter is odds-on favourite to clinch a fifth term next May.
English Championship boosts FFP loss allowance to £13m pa for rich owners
November 7 – English second tier clubs have agreed a new set of Financial Fair Play regulations to be implemented from the start of the 2016/17 season.
Hagi laments second 16-match ban for bone-breaking tackle
November 7 – A second Romanian player has been banned for 16 games for a reckless challenge in a domestic league game as the authorities crack down on foul play.
Asian Olympic chief says Winter 2022 will not melt away, FIFA must stay away
November 6 – Asia’s top Olympic official has stepped into the debate over a winter World Cup in 2022, ruling out the idea of the winter Olympics the same year being shifted from its traditional February time slot.
Winter-Summer 2022 positions entrench as FIFPro warns of player boycott
By Andrew Warshaw
November 6 – The international players’ union FIFPro have re-iterated their warning that players could boycott the 2022 World Cup if it is held in summer even though that is now becoming increasingly unlikely.
Milan looking for San Siro replacement in new ‘Milan quarter’
By Mark Baber
November 6 – On the same day as AC Milan lifted the Trofeo Luigi Berlusconi after a 2-0 victory against San Lorenzo of Argentina in the San Siro, it emerged that joint CEO, Barbara Berlusconi, is pursuing the concept of a new stadium for the Rossoneri – in the same neighborhood as the Casa Milan – to form a new “quartiere Milan.”
ICSS sponsors Russian forum with keynote security session
November 6 – The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS), an international focussed on sport safety, security and integrity, has been named as a sponsor of the World Football Forum being held in Moscow next week.
Romanian elbowed out with 16-match ban for violent play
November 6 – A Romanian midfielder has been handed an unprecedented 16-match domestic ban for fracturing the eye socket of an opponent.
D’Hooghe in a spin on somersaults, but has he got this one straight?
By Ben Nicholson
November 6 – Following the tragic death of Peter Biaksangzuala, who suffered spinal injuries that proved to be fatal after celebrating a goal by attempting a back somersault, FIFA has moved to rid the game of somersaulting celebrations altogether.
Exclusive: Mayne-Nicholls says Nov-Dec 2022 must be a non-starter
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
November 5 – The man who led the official FIFA inspection team that evaluated the credentials of 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar says November-December must be ditched as a possible date for a winter tournament, warning it would cause untold chaos for the international calendar.
FIFA bans Italian President Tavecchio over racist remark
By Mark Baber
November 5 – FIFA have extended a ban on recently elected Italian football federation (FIGC) president Carlo Tavecchio worldwide for six months a racist comment he made in August.
Gornik Zabrze puts 6 month deadline on stadium upgrade
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
November 5 – Polish construction company PB Dombud has won the PLN 20.5 million (€5 million) contract to modernise Gornik Zabrze’s stadium. The upgraded and expanded stadium will be increased to a capacity of 31,871 spectators.
SAFA call on fans to hand in illegal guns for Meyiwa tribute
November 5 – South African football authorities have called on fans to surrender their illegal guns following the recent fatal shooting of national captain Senzo Meyiwa that shocked the entire nation.
Toure calls for end to racial twitter abuse as police investigate
November 5 – As racism in football shows no sign of abating in Russia and elsewhere in eastern Europe, the problem continues to tarnish the game in multi-cultural countries where racial tolerance is supposedly part of society – including England.