More Mourinho blues as Chelsea and Juve rank low with their best buys
October 7 – It has been a busy week for Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and the latest analysis by the CIES Football Observatory will not have helped his mood.
Europe
Strasbourg FIFA presidential debate proposal founders on lack of debaters
October 7 – An invitation to FIFA presidential candidates to present their respective cases for taking over from Sepp Blatter has not got off to the best of starts with Michel Platini reportedly saying he cannot attend the forum in Strasbourg scheduled for 48 hours after the deadline for nominations.
Turkish prosecutors call for Fenerbahce boss’s conviction to be reversed
October 7 – Turkish prosecutors have called for match-fixing charges against Fenerbahce President Aziz Yildirim to be dropped. In a seven-page document submitted to the Istanbul’s High Criminal Court prosecutor Abdullah Mirza Coskun said the charges should be withdrawn on the grounds of insufficient evidence.
Romania have fan ban lifted for Euros qualifier against Finland
By Mark Baber
October 6 – Thursday’s crucial European Championship qualifier between Romania and Finland will be played in front of spectators after UEFA lifted a stadium ban on the Romanians imposed after fans were accused of racism and throwing missiles during a match against Greece in Bucharest.
Anderlecht u-turn threatens Brussels 2020 Euro stadium
By Samindra Kunti
October 5 – Belgium’s proposed new Brussels-based stadium for the EURO2020 finals might be in danger after leading club RSC Anderlecht have pulled out of the project.
Estonia earmarks €5m stadium spend as national team interest grows
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
October 2 – As a result of increased interest in the home matches played by Estonia’s national team, the country’s government is planning to spend about €5 million with the aim of increasing the capacity of A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn to about 15,000 seats.
Amsterdam ArenA upgrades for 2020 Euros with dramatic new shape
By Paul Nicholson
October 2 – Amsterdam ArenA, the home of Dutch giants Ajax and which will host four matches at the 2020 European Championships, has unveiled a major €50 million renovation project that will radically alter the look of the stadium and upgrade spectator facilities.
English FA see no Platini problem and reconfirm backing for FIFA leadership
By Andrew Warshaw
October 1 – England’s Football Association says it will continue to back Michel Platini’s bid to become FIFA president despite the Frenchman being drawn into the FIFA corruption scandal with last week’s revelation that he received SFr 2million for carrying out work on behalf of Sepp Blatter at the time he was his special adviser.
Barca’s Mascherano feels the heat as Spanish hit him with €1.5m tax fraud charges
September 30 – Barcelona’s Argentine international Javier Mascherano has been charged with two counts of tax evasion in the latest fraud case to hit Spanish-based players.
English FA to discuss whether to keep backing Platini for FIFA presidency
By Andrew Warshaw
September 30 – English FA officials meeting today are expected to discuss whether to stick by their decision to support embattled UEFA boss Michel Platini in next February’s FIFA presidential election.
Romania’s richest jailbird stays locked up leaving his Liga1 club strapped for cash
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
September 29 – The financial woes of Romanian top tier club Astra Giurgiu are set to continue as an application for an early release filed by its jailed owner, Romanian businessman Ioan Niculae (pictured), was recently rejected by a local court. Niculae is currently serving a sentence of 914 days, and, under Romanian law, to be granted an early release, he must serve at least 304 days.
VW crisis will not pollute Wolfsburg, says Allofs
September 29 – The Volkswagen emissions scandal will not affect the status of Wolfsburg, the Bundesliga club owned by the embattled car manufacturer, according to sporting director Klaus Allofs.
Barca’s Neymar has $47m of assets frozen in Brazilian tax case
By Paul Nicholson
September 28 – The struggle that Barcelona’s star players have with paying their taxes has continued with Neymar being the latest to fall foul of the authorities with a Brazilian judge freezing 188.8m reais ($47.6 million) of his assets in a tax evasion case.
Will VW’s emissions scandal pollute Germany’s football sponsorship balance?
By Mark Baber
September 25 – The extent of the fall-out for football from the Volkswagen emissions scandal has been the subject of speculation with analysis focusing on the extent of VW’s involvement in football, the depth of the crisis facing the company, the identities of the company’s top management and the role of football sponsorship in VW’s marketing mix.
Belgian coach plots course to return Saudi to Asian elite
By Samindra Kunti
September 25 – Deep into the second half of Saudi Arabia’s World Cup qualifier away to Malaysia in September, the Ultras Malaya, a group of hot-headed home supporters, threw flares and fireworks on to the pitch of the Shah Alam Stadium in Selangor, a province on Malaysia’s east coast. Smoke rapidly began to fill the ground and left referee Liu Kwak Man from Hong Kong with little choice but to abandon the game.