News Archives - Page 1450 of 1748 - Inside World Football

Italian football pays tribute to Borgonovo: Applause and tears at the funeral

Stefano Borgonovo

July 2 – Italian football yesterday paid an emotional tribute to Stefano Borgonovo, who died last Thursday after a battle against ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) aged 49. His funeral in his home town of Guissano was attended by representatives from across the sport including his closest friend from his days at Fiorentina, Roberto Baggio, but also Paolo Maldini, Arrigo Sacchi, Juventus CEO Marotta and many well-known faces who formed part of the cheerful striker’s all-too-short life.

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Ethiopian blunder punished by FIFA, reopens African WC qualification hopes

ethiopian football fans

By Mark Baber
July 2 – In a set-back to Ethiopia’s ambitions to qualify for a World Cup final tournament for the first time, FIFA has overturned Ethiopia’s original 2-1 win against Botswana and awarded a 3-0 victory to Botswana. FIFA has confirmed that the Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) has been sanctioned for fielding an ineligible player in the preliminary competition match for the 2014 FIFA World Cup between Botswana and Ethiopia played on 8 June 2013.

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Blatter declares success as Cup fever dies down after a blockbuster finish

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By Andrew Warshaw
July 2 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter once again declared the Confederations Cup a success at his final news conference of the two-week event – and re-iterated that football was playing a unifying rather than divisive role in the country.

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FIFpro’s Evangelista calls for share of the FIFA and UEFA TV cash

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By Andrew Warshaw
July 2 – FIFA and UEFA should share television revenues from their respective tournaments with footballers who most need financial help, according to international players union FIFPro board member Joaquim Evangelista. Evangelista, head of the Portuguese Professional Footballers Association, said he would urge fellow board members at this week’s FIFPro general assembly in the Netherlands to lobby football’s governing bodies to hand out more of their money to unions in countries where players are struggling.

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Thailand’s True Corporation partners Manchester United

True Corp

By Andrew Warshaw
July 2 – Manchester United have announced yet another new sponsor – specifically to co-incide with their pre-season tour of Thailand. United, who won their 20th English league title in May, have struck a three-year deal with Thai telecommunications group True Corporation Plc though no figure has been made public on the agreement.

Africa

Cameroon face suspension as government steps into vote row over Iya Mohammed

Iya Mohammed

By Mark Baber
July 1 – The Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) is in chaos and faces potential suspension from FIFA following the annulling by a judicial authority of Iya Mohammed’s overwhelming re-election as President.

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Doncaster Belles lose appeal over demotion from Women’s Super League

Doncaster Belles

By Mark Baber
July 1 – In a major blow to Doncaster Belles and their supporters, the club has lost its appeal to retain its place in the re-structured English Women’s Super League. The FA has re-assigned clubs to leagues according to various license criteria, rather than performance on the sporting field.

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Exclusive: Valcke slams criticism of cost of staging World Cups

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By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
July 1 – FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke has accused UEFA of “opportunism and irresponsibility” after Europe’s governing body denounced FIFA for asking World Cup hosts to fork out a fortune on infrastructure to the detriment of more important social needs.

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Baghdad pitch bomb kills fans and players, AFC demands increased security

Iraqi kids playing football

July 1 – Between nine and 15 people have been killed in a bomb blast while watching and playing football in Baghdad, the latest in a series of attacks targeting Iraqis either competing or watching and prompting a plea by Asian football authorities to beef up security in the region.

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Blatter upbeat as the Confederations Cup closes with Brazil, as winners

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By Andrew Warshaw
July 1 – FIFA president Sepp Blatter insists the Confederations Cup, which concluded on Sunday with Brazil’s resounding 3-0 win over Spain, rose above the mass street protests that co-incided with the tournament.

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Bulgarian arrests as angry CSKA fans march on FA offices

Bulgarian FA building

By Andrew Warshaw
July 1 – Fifteen CSKA fans have been detained after an attack on the headquarters of the Bulgarian FA in protest at the debt-ridden club facing the prospect of being plunged into obscurity. CSKA will play in the amateur championship next season if they fail to merge with another first division club in time for the start of the Bulgarian league on July 20.

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High-flying Swans land new shirt sponsorship deal

Goldenway sponsorship

By David Owen
June 29 – Further evidence of the Barclays Premier League’s remarkable international pulling power has emerged with a new shirt sponsorship deal announced by Swansea City. The South Wales club, whose rapid advance from the lower reaches of the professional game in Britain was underlined last season by victory in the Capital One Cup final at Wembley, has agreed a £2 million deal with a Hong Kong-based financial services provider called Goldenway.

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Players to get panic buttons to report match fixers

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By Andrew Warshaw
June 28 – Players who are approached to fix matches or who suspect games are being rigged will be able to push a ‘panic button’ on their mobile phones to report their suspicions. The plan has been devised with European funding so that footballers across the continent can download an anti-match-fixing app to their phones and will be given a password to blow the whistle on fellow professionals via a red button.

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Digital sports leaders Perform sees shares fall on profit warning

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By Mark Baber
June 28 – Shares in Perform, a leader in the distribution and commercialisation of sports content across digital platforms, have fallen by over 10% after a warning that spending on acquisitions and content would slow profit growth this year.

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Huawei dials up smartphone deal with La Liga

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By Mark Baber
June 28 – China’s Huawei, a global provider of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), has signed with the Spanish Football League (LFP) as its exclusive Technology Partner for Smartphones.