By Andrew Warshaw
December 3 – In a case that has again brought focus in Spain on to the hot topic of clubs and the sale of their TV rights, Barcelona and Real Madrid are among four Spanish teams that have been fined for breaking broadcast competition rules.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 3 – English football is clamping down on the use of flares and smoke bombs, widely used by supporters across much of Europe but, until recently, all but absent from the English game. According to new statistics, in the first three months of this season alone, there were 96 pyrotechnic incidents across the Premier League, Football League, non-league games and domestic cup competitions – compared to just eight throughout the entire campaign in 2010-11.
By Matt Scott
December 3 – Clubs should run background checks on their players’ betting habits before recruiting them or they will risk becoming targets for match fixers. That is the view of Peter Limacher (pictured), one of the foremost authorities on the illegal activities that threaten football from within.
“He that loves pleasure must for pleasure fall.” Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus.
It might seem to the cynical observer that the best young footballers have made some Faustian pact with the devil himself. Those with the most natural talent for a game they would otherwise play for the fun of it are lavished with riches from their mid-teens. They can enjoy the adulation of an adoring public when donning a shirt for their clubs or,
By Andrew Warshaw
December 3 – Kenyan police are stepping up their search for two Eritrean footballers who went missing during the regional Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup, reputed to be the oldest football tournament in Africa.
By Andrew Warshaw and Paul Nicholson
December 3 – China’s status as the world’s most potent growth market has led to a new accord between the Premier League and the game’s authorities in the vast Asian country – brokered by a delegation led by British Prime Minister David Cameron.
December 3 – Match-fixing has again hit Estonia as illegal gambling dens continue to spread their criminal activities.
By Andrew Warshaw and Paul Nicholson
December 3 – China’s status as the world’s most potent growth market has led to a new accord between the Premier League and the game’s authorities in the vast Asian country – brokered by a delegation led by British Prime Minister David Cameron (pictured).
By Paul Nicholson
December 2 – Manchester United are missing out on an estimated £16.93 million a year for stadium naming rights, according to analysis by American Appraisal, a specialist valuation firm and consultancy. The English Premier League champions, who have said they will never rebrand Old Trafford, come second in a list of Premier League stadium rights valuations – to near neighbour Manchester City who are valued at £18.23 million.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 2 – The acrimonius dispute over the name of English Premier League club Hull City has turned even uglier with owner Assem Allam telling his critics they “can die as soon as they want” and describing some of them as “hooligans”, in response to the Hull fans chant ‘City till we die’.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 2 – Brazil’s troubled build-up for next year’s World Cup – stadium delays and accidents, safety concerns, street protests – takes centre stage again this week but there are a number of other pressing global issues facing FIFA’s chiefs as they head to Salvador, Brazil, for a series of meetings ahead of Friday’s eagerly anticipated draw for the 32-team 2014 World Cup finals.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
December 2 – Poland’s Ekstraklasa is planning to host the country’s next Super Cup match abroad. The top tier of Poland’s professional football league wants to move its showpiece match to a location in Western Europe, primarily to increase its advertising revenues from the high-profile event.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 2 – The international players’ union FIFPro has again urged Qatar’s World Cup organisers to abolish the kafala employment system for footballers in the wake of the Zahir Belounis case that made worldwide headlines following meetings with Qatar 2022 officials at the weekend with players’ contracts and rights at the top of the agenda.
December 2 – FIFA has extended its media platform with the launch of its first app in five languages – English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish. The world’s governing body predicts the app will download over 70 million copies in the first few months, making it the world’s most downloaded sports application.
“It’s better to burn out than to fade away.” Neil Young
Or is it? I remember a time when all rock stars, Young included, were, well, young. And then the music industry discovered irony, and we realised it was no more ridiculous for Jagger to perform Satisfaction at 55 than 25.
I don’t know if the deft through-ball with which Ryan Giggs, then aged 39 years and 363 days,