Polish league secures record title sponsorship with T-Mobile
By Krzysztof Baranowski
May 6 – The cash-strapped Polish league has agreed a record breaking new title sponsorship for its top division with telecommunications company T-Mobile.
News
Yeung gets clipped in court as money laundering trial goes ahead
By Andrew Warshaw
May 3 – Birmingham City owner Carson Yeung failed in his final bid to avoid facing money laundering charges today – then heard the prosecution claim that huge amounts of cash had gone through the ex-hairdresser’s bank accounts.
Female reps Dodd, Un-Gyong and Shalabi take seats on AFC exco
By Andrew Warshaw
May 3 – Almost forgotten amid the hullabaloo of Sheikh Salman’s Presidential victory was the appointment of three women to the executive committee of the Asian Football Confederation.
Monaco poised for return to France’s top flight, with Russian aid
By Mark Baber
May 3 – Monaco are set to return to France’s Ligue 1 this weekend if they win against SM Caen. The club from the Principality has the financial resource to rival Paris Saint-Germain, thanks to their billionaire Russian owner, Dmitry Rybolovlev.
Salman calls for AFC unity and promises two years of ‘great things’
By Andrew Warshaw
May 3 – Twenty-four hours after being sworn in as the new leader of Asian football, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa followed up his election victory with a call to the warring factions to put an end to all the sniping and backbiting and come together for the common good. But festering resentment still remains.
‘Coughin’ up that little extra when the final whistle blows
April 3 – “I’m (insert club name) until I die” is a chant heard in many British football grounds most weekends. Now it appears more fans are holding the sentiment after their death. Former Liverpool manager Bill Shankly would likely approve.
Manchester United bang in record £91.7m third quarter revenue
By Mark Baber
May 3 – On the pitch, Manchester United won the 212-13 Premier League title with four games to spare. Off the pitch financial results for the three and nine month periods ended 31 March 2013, announced yesterday, which show record third quarter revenue of £91.7m, sponsorship revenue increasing by 52.2% and adjusted EBITDA increasing 22.5% to a third quarter record of £25m.
Deportivo vs Levante match-fixing claim sparks investigation and war of words
By Monica Villar
May 3 – The LFP are to investigate match-fixing allegations in the Spanish Primera match between Levante and Deportivo, played April 13 at the Ciutat de Valencia stadium. The match ended with Deportivo thrashing Levante 4-0.
Blatter suggests more World Cup berths for Asian countries
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
May 3 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter, with typically deliberate timing, has re-opened the prickly debate over World Cup slots by promoting Asia’s case for more representation.
English rugby turns to football to provide World Cup 2015 stadia
By Tom Parsons
May 2 – The English Rugby Football Union has announced that eight football grounds will be used to host games at the 2015 Rugby World Cup. The tournament, predominately held in England, will be staged at 13 different venues around England and Wales during September and October 2015.
Usmanov sets sights on Gunners’ Kroenke for his lack of ambition
By Mark Baber
May 2 –Alisher Usmanov claims Arsenal’s majority shareholder Stan Kroenke “doesn’t show any wish” to create a winning team according to reports in the British press.
Fuentes guilty in Operacion Puerto case, but judge’s ruling protects others
By Gareth Messenger
May 2 – The doctor at the centre of Spain’s biggest doping scandal has been handed a one-year suspended sentence after being found guilty of endangering public health. But the big winners in the case are the alleged dopers from sports other than cycling, and including football, who will retain their anonymity.
Curtain falls on election as players lick wounds but look forward to a new AFC
By John Duerden in Kuala Lumpur
May 2 – It is hard to know which was the most extraordinary sight at the Asian Football Confederation’s Extraordinary Congress at the Mandarin Hotel in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday morning: Sheikh Salman Ebrahim Al-Khalifa winning the election to become the next president of the AFC in the first round of voting, his bitter rival Yousuf Al Serkal coming in last or Sepp Blatter lecturing delegates about the necessity of returning to core football values.
Blatter quick to congratulate Sheikh Salman on ‘brilliant election’ win
By John Duerden in Kuala Lumpur
May 2 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter congratulated Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa for his “brilliant election” victory to the Presidency of the Asian Football Confederation but not before cautioning that Asian football had to put its house in order.
Salman wins AFC presidency with landslide vote, FIFA exco seat as well
By John Duerden in Kuala Lumpur
May 2 – Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa of Bahrain won a landslide first-round victory to become the 10th president of the Asian Football Confederation on Thursday, trouncing his stunned opponents as he promised to lead Asian football into a new era of stability.