No bad blood as Notts County shake off Taylor Swift takeover rumour
October 30 – The rumoured sale of the world’s oldest professional football club, Notts County, to pop star Taylor Swift has been quickly played down by the club.
Federations
Marseilles fans stone Lyon team bus leaving Fabio Grosso with serious facial injuries
By Samindra Kunti in Marseille
October 30 – Ligue 1 match between Olympique de Marseille and Olympique Lyon was called off after Lyon’s team bus was attacked on the way to the Stade Velodrome.
Real Madrid go to banks for €370m loan; bring Saudi bank onboard as sponsor
October 30 – Real Madrid are looking to raise €370 million from banks to help finance refurbishment work at the their Santiago Bernabeu Stadium where costs have almost doubled to €1 billion form an initial €575 million budget.
Italy and Newcastle’s Tonali hit with 10-month ban for betting on matches
October 27 – Newcastle United’s Italian international midfielder Sandro Tonali, who cost £55 million just a few months ago, has been banned for 10 months over breaches of rules on betting on matches in Italy.
Nice’s Atal handed 7-game ban for anti-Semitic social media postings
October 26 – Nice’s Algerian international Youcef Atal has been banned for seven matches by French football authorities for sharing an anti-Semitic message on social media relating to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Bulgarian government commits to match club funding for stadium projects up to €15m
October 26 – Bulgaria’s Minister of Finance, Asen Vasilev, has said that the state is ready to help any club in the country that wants to renovate its training base and stadium.
Spanish women want to return focus to football
October 25 – Spain’s women players want to start concentrating on matters on the field rather than the kissgate scandal that marred their World Cup-winning celebrations.
Fortuna Düsseldorf pilot first of its free ticket matches and deliver a 7–goal thriller
October 25 – Bundesliga club Fortuna Düsseldorf have trialled the first match of their ‘Fortuna for All’ campaign, marking the beginning of a groundbreaking new initiative where fans can attend matches free of charge.
Greek chaos as Olympiakos-Panathinaikos flares up forcing match to be abandoned
October 24 – Greek football has been plunged into yet more disgrace as officials decide if and when to replay the so-called ‘derby of the eternal enemies’ between Olympiakos and Panathinaikos which had to be abandoned at the weekend after a player was hit by a firework.
CSKA Sofia stadium rebuild on hold after public complaint
October 24 – Bulgaria’s CSKA Sofia has announced that the long-awaited reconstruction of the Bulgarian Army stadium has been postponed indefinitely.
England mourns death of Sir Bobby Charlton, aged 86
October 23 – Tributes are pouring in from all quarters following the death of Sir Bobby Charlton, arguably the greatest English footballer of all time.
Spain recall Hermoso for Nations League for first time since World Cup final ‘kiss’
October 19 – For the first time since the Women’s World Cup final and the infamous, unsolicited kiss by former Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales, Jennifer Hermoso has been called up for the Spain national team.
Gambling addicted Juve midfielder Nicolo Fagioli banned for seven months
October 18 – Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli has been banned for seven months by the Italian football federation (FIGC) for breaching betting rules, the latest high-profile Italian player to hit the headlines in recent days for the wrong reasons.
Bulgaria’s Serbian coach blames poor performance on too many foreigners in club game
October 17 – National team coach Mladen Krstajić launched an extraordinary attack on the Bulgarian league before a friendly match against Albania.
Rabbi loses faith in the FA as Jewish fans angered by failure to light up Wembley’s arch
October 16 – A rabbi who worked with the English Football Association for over a decade has resigned in protest at the body’s refusal to light up Wembley stadium’s arch in the colours of the Israeli flag during last Friday’s friendly with Australia and this Tuesday’s clash with Italy.