Bundesliga merchandise sales hit record €243m
December 1 – Merchandise sales of Bundesliga clubs increased by €17 million to €243 million in the 2015-16 season, according to PR Marketing’s 19th Fanartikel-Barometer.
News
English FA in sexual abuse ‘crisis’ as cover-up suspicions grow
By Andrew Warshaw
November 30 – The chairman of the English Football has labelled the on-going child sex abuse scandal as one of the biggest crises in the history of the governing body.
Tributes pour in as football world mourns dead in Chapecoense plane crash
November 30 – The Brazilian government has declared three days of national mourning for the victims of the plane disaster in Colombia that killed 75 people including the bulk of the Chapecoense players and officials travelling for the Copa Sudamerica final first leg, as well as a string of Brazilian sports journalists.
Sino-Qatar joint venture to build World Cup 2022 Lusail Stadium showpiece
By Paul Nicholson
November 30 – Qatar’s showpiece Lusail Stadium for the 2022 World Cup will be built as a Qatar-China joint venture between the China Railway Construction Corp. Ltd. and Qatari contractor HBK Contracting Co. The stadium is scheduled for completion in 2020 and will host the opening match and World Cup Final in 2022.
Convicted child sex abuser Bennell faces 8 charges of abusing youth players
November 29 – A British former coach has been charged with eight historical offences of sexual assault against a boy under the age of 14 in the latest development in the abuse scandal that has shocked the country.
Hull hit new low as 8 teams fill grounds by more than 95%
November 29 – Hull City set a season low attendance record in Round 13 of the Premier League filling just 70.69% of their 25,886 capacity stadium. The 7,500 unfilled seats in Hull made up more than half the 14,266 unfilled seats across the whole Premier League.
Brazil’s Chapecoense in tragic plane crash on way to Colombian final
November 29 – A chartered plane carrying 81 people, including top-flight Brazilian team Chapecoense, has crashed on its approach to the city of Medellin in Colombia, seemingly after an electrical failure.
Palmeiras league win sets new record, but Chapecoense tragedy mutes celebrations
By Samindra Kunti
November 29 – Palmeiras clinched a record ninth Brazilian league title with a week to spare by beating Chapecoense 1-0 at home on Sunday. The 2016 title ends a 22-year drought for the Sao Paulo-based club. But celebrations have been muted by the tragic plane crash over Colombia Monday night. The plane was carrying the team to the Copa Subamerica final in Medellin.
German and Chinese governments sign pact to develop world’s biggest market
By Paul Nicholson
November 28 – German and Chinese governments have signed the equivalent of a football trade deal – the first of its kind between two governments – China’s vice-premier Liu Yandong and German chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel signed the partnership which will run for an initial five years.
Twitter stats: Chelsea edge Liverpool again, but gap to Arsenal keeps growing
By Paul Nicholson
November 28 – Growth in new twitter followers this week across the Premier League is up to 0.42% from 0.37% last week – or in real terms from 166,700 to 187,300. Manchester United still top the weekly table but Chelsea are gently showing a return to form and favour after a halving of weekly gains from 12 months ago, due to a drop in form and the unsavoury antics of former manager Jose Mourinho.
Jiangsu lose CFA Cup, Suning open Nanjing store trading on Inter and Jiangsu brands
By Paul Nicholson
November 28 – Suning Sports, owners of China Super League club Jiangsu Suning and majority owners of Italy’s Internazionale, opened its flagship retail store in Nanjing’s Olympic Sports Centre. The store sell merchandise from both clubs and offers entertainment based experiences as well as retail.
Atlético fan sues UEFA for Clattenburg’s Champions League final blunder
By Andrew Warshaw
November 28 – Wrong refereeing decisions not only change games but can wreck seasons and even lead to coaches being sacked. But one Atlético Madrid fan is so incensed over what happened in last season’s Champions League final that he is suing UEFA for damages.
English sexual abuse cases mount as FA opens investigation
November 28 – The English Football Association has confirmed it is investigating allegations of sexual abuse in youth football after more ex-professionals came forward with stories of their suffering.
Confederations Cup hospitality prices range up to $50k
By David Owen
November 28 – Patrons wishing to hire a private suite for next year’s Confederations Cup final in Saint Petersburg face prices of up to almost $50,000 under packages being advertised by Match Hospitality, exclusive rights-holder of FIFA’s hospitality programme at the eight-team competition.
Liverpool surge on Instagram as Man Utd hammer away on Facebook
November 25 – The growth of new Instagram followers to Premier League clubs in the week to November 20 has remained steady with another 276,000 plus sign-ons matching the previous week. What is emerging is a pattern of the biggest clubs putting on huge numbers of followers, in contrast to the 12 lowest ranked clubs adding less than 2,000 followers each.