Bulgarian clubs demand a share of Levski deal with Gazprom

Gazprom

By Alexander Krassimirov
August 8 – Bulgaria’s top league clubs have joined together to protest to the government about a sponsorship agreement about to be signed between rival club Levski Sofia and Russian energy giant Gazprom. It is a remarkable move by the clubs who all sell their own sponsorships, but who feel that they have been excluded from sponsorship money they should be sharing.

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Russia’s Anzhi fairy tale unravels as Kerimov slashes budgets

Suleiman Kerimov

By Richard van Poortvliet
August 7 – The Anzhi project, to transform a side with little prior success from one of Russia’s poorest regions, into a European powerhouse happened almost overnight. However, this dream looks as though it could be unravelling just as quickly as it was formed with owner Suleiman Kerimov (pictured) taking an axe to the club’s budgets.

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Barca ‘peace tour’ builds a bridge across an uneasy divide

Barca peace tour

By Andrew Warshaw
August 4 – Israeli and Palestinian leaders have hailed Barcelona’s “peace tour” to the region as a vitally symbolic breakthrough but the visit also highlighted the deep-rooted distrust as Palestinian FA boss Jibril Rajoub, not for the first time, denounced Israel’s conduct towards his country’s athletes.

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