English FA pump extra £50m into grassroots talent search
August 13 – The English Football Association are investing an extra £60 million into the grassroots game over the next four years, bringing the total amount to £260 million.
News
FITS Forum limbers up for blockbuster Geneva gathering
August 13 – The Financial Integrity and Transparency in Sport (FITS) Forum taking place in Geneva September 3-4, has announced a raft of US speakers from both the financial and law enforcement worlds.
Ajax upgrades CST in new 3-year sponsorship
By Samindra Kunti
August 13 – Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam have named Cheng Shin Tire (CST) as an official partner of the club.
Prince Ali says Platini is not the right man for FIFA’s top job
By Andrew Warshaw
August 13 – Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein of Jordan is back on the offensive and again questioning Michel Platini’s credentials as being the best candidate to take over as FIFA president in succession to Sepp Blatter who is standing down on February 26.
Chung heads to Paris to plant his FIFA election flag in the heart of Europe
By Andrew Warshaw
August 12 – South Korea’s Chung Mong-joon will formally launch his bid to take on Michel Platini to become FIFA president early next week – right in the UEFA chief’s own backyard.
PSG joins Barcelona and Juventus in Tecate’s Mexican portfolio
By Paul Nicholson
August 12 – Mexican beer brand Tecate has added a third regional sponsorship of one of Europe’s top club, this week signing Paris Saint-Germain who join Barcelona and Juventus as having Tecate as the official regional beer.
Romario and the €2m Swiss account that never was
By Ricardo Setyon
August 12 – In Brazil former footballers becoming politicians is not unusual – Bebeto, Vampeta, Tulio, Roberto Dinamite, and even Zico and Pelé had their time as members of governments – but none have reached the heights of Romário, one of the best goalscorers the country has ever produced.
Securing Sport announces Haass and Rice as key speakers at NY summit
August 12 – ICSS (the International Centre for Sport Security) has announced that Richard Haass (pictured), president of US think tank, Council on Foreign Relations, will give the opening address at Securing Sport 2015, to be held in New York, November 3-4. Condoleezza Rice, 66th U.S. Secretary of State, will also be speaking at the conference.
Lokomotiv Plovdiv threatens to quit league after BFU hands down tough fine
By Alexander Krassimirov
August 12 – The owners of Bulgarian top tier side Lokomotiv Plovdiv have threatened to pull the club out of the A Grupa division after being hit with a BGN 37,500 (€18,750) fine by the Disciplinary Committee of the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) for racist chants by fans during a match against Litex Lovech.
Qatar set to finalise its 2022 stadium build plan
By Andrew Warshaw
August 12 – Qatar hopes to finally reveal how many stadiums it will use in total for the 2022 World Cup by the end of this year.
CAS orders Paraguay’s Olimpia to pay Ariosa ‘moral damages’
August 12 – A Paraguayan club has been ordered to pay compensation to a footballer whose contract was suspended while he was being treated for cancer, according to world players’ union FIFPro.
Mourinho’s old school remedy is to put Dr in her place
August 12 – Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho’s reputation for courting controversy and being prone to over-reaction as well as winning trophies is already making headlines with only one match of the new Premier League season completed.
Fenerbahce player escapes after car fired at in ‘terrorist’ attack
August 12 – A top-flight Turkish footballer has escaped unharmed after gunmen fired on his bulletproof car in Istanbul.
Premier League fans flock to their temples of worship for opening day
By Paul Nicholson
August 12 – The hottest ticket in England last weekend was one for a Premier League match, pretty much anywhere. Of a total of 369,536 tickets available across the 10 opening home matches, a massive 362,658 were sold, leaving just 6,878 tickets unsold, half of them at Newcastle’s St James’s Park for the 1.30pm Sunday lunchtime kick-off against Southampton.
Some old, some new, some borrowed… no it’s not a wedding, it’s Carrard’s reform cabal
By Andrew Warshaw
August 11 – Francois Carrard, former director-general of the International Olympic Committee, has been confirmed by FIFA as the independent head of its much-trumpeted Reform Task Force set up in the wake of the worst corruption crisis to hit the organisation in its 111-year history.