Adidas says brand has not been damaged by FIFA crisis
November 6 – Leading FIFA sponsors Adidas have broken their silence over the ongoing corruption scandal by insisting the crisis has not adversely affected its brand.
News
Benzema now a formal suspect in sex tape blackmail case
November 6 – Real Madrid’s French international striker Karim Benzema has been placed under formal investigation in connection with a sex tape blackmail plot according to French reports – but his club are standing by him.
Figueredo asks to be extradited to Uruguay rather than US
November 6 – Former FIFA vice president Eugenio Figueredo, one of the infamous ‘Zurich Seven’, is hoping to avoid being extradited to the United States by co-operating instead with a separate investigation in his native Uruguay.
Blatter tops poll to light up English skies on bonfire night
By Andrew Warshaw
Nvember 5 – Critics of Sepp Blatter have long been calling for his head and while he has certainly been feeling the heat, residents in a small south of England town have taken the burning issue of his alleged role in FIFA’s unprecedented corruption scandal to somewhat incendiary lengths.
Hungary’s MTK launches €20 million stadium project
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
November 5 – Hungary’s MTK has signed a deal with a construction to build the club’s new stadium under a HUF 6.3 billion (€20 million) project. The Nándor Hidegkuti stadium is to be completed by the end of August 2016, two months later than initially planned.
Orange dials in for another 3-year sponsorship with PSG
By Mark Baber
November 5 – French-based telecoms company Orange has renewed its partnership with Paris Saint-Germain for another three years.
Orient owner battles Albanian extradition request, denying all charges
By Andrew Warshaw
November 5 – The Italian owner of English fourth-tier club Leyton Orient faces extradition to Albania for alleged fraud and money laundering.
Benzema questioned by police over sex tape blackmail
November 5 – France’s Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has been questioned by police in a blackmail case surrounding a sex tape, according to French reports.
Trabzonspor chairman banned for imprisoning ref after failure to win penalty
November 5 – After one of the most unusual and extraordinary cases of misconduct, Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu (pictured), chairman of top-flight Turkish club Trabzonspor, and several of his board members have been given lengthy bans for locking a referee in the dressing room until the early hours of the morning.
China’s Rastar poised to take $20m stake in Espanyol
By David Owen
November 5 – The other club in Barcelona – Espanyol, currently 10th in La Liga – look poised to fall under Chinese control. The Guangdong-based Rastar Group has said its Hong Kong unit is to buy 45%-56% of the club in a deal valued at up to almost $20 million.
Gulati wants more women at FIFA’s top table and a bigger game to support it
By Paul Nicholson in New York
November 5 – The pay equity issue between men and women’s football could be solved by making the women’s game a much bigger business, said Sunil Gulati, president of the US Soccer Federations (USSF) and a FIFA executive committee member.
Condoleeza Rice puts sport security top of the political agenda
By Paul Nicholson in New York
November 5 – Former US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, speaking at the Securing Sport 2015 conference in New York, sent a strong message out on the importance of sport security: securing sport integrity from corruption, securing vulnerable athletes; and securing events from terrorist attack.
FIFA case is not about 2022 sour grapes, Blatter is not immune, says former US AG
By Paul Nicholson in New York
November 5 – The US Department of Justice assault on FIFA has not been motivated by sour grapes over failing to win the bid for the 2022 World Cup, said former US attorney journal Eric Holder who was part of the initial investigation but left his post in April, before the arrests in Zurich and indictments were announce last May.
New-born Sport Integrity Alliance takes its first public steps
By Paul Nicholson in New York
November 4 – The first formal steps towards the formation of a worldwide anti-corruption body were announced by Michael Hershman (pictured) in his closing remarks at the Securing Sport 2015 conference.
Safety report rules out Palestine’s hard fought home World Cup qualifiers
By Andrew Warshaw
November 4 – Having been kicked from pillar to post by FIFA, metaphorically speaking, Palestine football authorities have now been told once and for all that they will not be able to play a forthcoming World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia on home soil.