By Ben Nicholson
July 10 – The rumors that the MLS is to introduce a ‘Core Player’ materialised on July 8 in the form of ‘Targeted Allocation Money’. The new rule amounts to each MLS club receiving $100,000 per year for the next five years for the purpose of investing in their roster outside of their player salary budget.
July 10 – The highest court in France has quashed an agreement between Monaco and the French football league (FFF) that has been giving the principality club special tax status.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 10 – Sepp Blatter has taken yet another swipe at his critics, once again distancing himself from FIFA’s damaged image caused, he says, by disgraced members of his executive committee for whom he insists he has no responsibility.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 10 – Shamed former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner has won more time in his bid to avoid being extradited from his native Trinidad and Tobago to the United States to face corruption charges as part of the FBI probe into widespread corruption involving senior FIFA and other footballing officials.
July 10 – English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur has renewed its exclusive ticket resale partnership for a further two seasons with StubHub. With the club in the early stages of building a new 61,000 capacity stadium and a deal announced to stage NFL matches, StubHub will be looking to position itself for Spurs’ new era of larger crowds and more stadium events.
July 10 – New research from KPMG’s Sport practice into attendances in the big five European football markets has found that the top two divisions in each territory attracted more than 77 million spectators at an average of 19,500 spectators per match.
July 9 – Another interview by Sepp Blatter. Another passionate defence of his record and that of FIFA. This time, the embattled Swiss has blamed FIFA’s individual confederations for the corruption scandal that has rocked his organisation and led to him deciding to step down.
By Mark Baber
July 9 – US mobile phone brand Yezz has extended its deal with Ligue 1’s Girondins de Bordeaux for another two years in a deal negotiated with the support of Infront Sports & Media, it was announced on Wednesday.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 9 – The reputation of former FIFA and CONCACAF powerbroker Chuck Blazer reached an all-time low today when he was banned for life by FIFA for widespread corruption, bringing to end the career of one of the most colourful and controversial figures in football politics.
By Alexander Krassimirov
July 9 – Bulgaria’s CSKA Sofia may have been dropped to the amateur divisions of the country’s football structure, but the club is still in demand. Four Bulgarian broadcasters are fighting over TV rights for the club’s matches in the amateur V league.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 9 – An investment company supporting Third Party Ownership will challenge FIFA’s global ban on the practise at what could be a ground-breaking hearing in Brussels next week.
By Paul Nicholson
July 9 – Sonia Bien-Amie has broken new ground for women’s representation at FIFA becoming the first woman to hold a non-female designated post on the governing body’s executive committee, the top table of world football.
July 9 – Croatia’s prime minister has issued a strongly worded personal plea to UEFA president Michel Platini urging Europe’s governing body not to expel the national team after a swastika was scrawled on the pitch during last month’s European Championship qualifier against Italy.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 8 – In the latest groundbreaking deal between English football and American gridiron, Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur have announced a 10-year partnership with the NFL that will see the north London club host at least two NFL games a year at its new stadium due to open in 2018.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
July 8 – Stomil Olsztyn and the city authorities in Olsztyn have launched a competition to select the design of its new stadium. The Polish side aims to fit its planned sports facility with a capacity of 12,000, according to the released technical requirements.