European sports ministers sign new pact to beef up fight against match-fixing

By Andrew Warshaw
September 18 – Sports ministers from across Europe will convene in Switzerland today to sign a landmark agreement in an attempt to reduce match-fixing.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 18 – Sports ministers from across Europe will convene in Switzerland today to sign a landmark agreement in an attempt to reduce match-fixing.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 17 – In a bid to improve the flagging fortunes of the national team, the recent win in Switzerland notwithstanding, the English Football Association has sent out its first draft of proposals to reduce the number of non-EU players within the English game by up to 50%.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
September 17 – Legia Warsaw, who were controversially dumped from the Champions League to the Europa League after fielding an ineligible player against Celtic in the qualifying rounds, are pushing forward an expansion programme with plans for a new training ground, despite missing out on the big cash win that comes with Europe’s top club competition.
By David Owen
September 17 – Nottingham in the English Midlands has been named “city of football” by Sport England, the grass-roots funding body. The decision opens the way for the city – home to two Football League clubs, including Nottingham Forest, the former European champions under manager Brian Clough – to receive £1.6 million to endeavour to get more Nottinghamians playing football regularly.
By Mark Baber
September 16 – Manchester United have announced a new initiative which will see the club partnering with the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA) and supporting a Manchester United Soccer School in Azerbaijan.
September 16 – The Scottish Football Association is examining allegations of racism during a Scottish Premier League game last weekend.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 15 – The Champions League proper kicks off this week but before a ball has even been kicked the debate over seedings has intensified.
September 15 – For the third consecutive year, several of Asia’s most promising coaches are attending a two-week course at the English FA’s state-of-the-art national football centre, St. George’s Park, until the end of this month as part of its international bursary scheme.
September 15 – With so few black coaches in European football, UEFA have launched a pioneering programme to bring more minorities into the game and develop equal opportunities.
By David Owen
September 14 – Another small slice of football history was made on Friday night, as Corinne Diacre’s Clermont Foot beat Le Havre in the second division of the French championship.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 12 – The president of one of Portugal’s leading clubs has lashed out at Third Party Ownership despite the country being one of those where the practise is commonplace.
September 12 – UEFA has charged the Football Association of Wales (FAW) for a pitch invasion following their late winner in this week’s 2-1 win in Andorra.
By Mark Baber
September 12 – Nike and the Norwegian Football Association have announced a new partnership that sees Nike become the federation’s official apparel sponsor, taking over from Umbro.
September 12 – The World Football Forum 2014, to be held at the Ritz-Carlton in Moscow, November 13, has added former Russian footballing legend Aleksei Smertin to the panel discussion on the implications of UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations (FFP). Smertin will be on the panel led by the Chief Executive of Chelsea Football Club, Ron Gourlay. Chelsea were one of the clubs Smertin played for.
By Mark Baber
September 11 – The Swedish Football Association (SvFF) announced has reported a case of “suspected bribery” to the police in relation to Jonkopings Sodra’s match against Syrianska on August 25 which Jonkoping won 4-0.