Europa Cup final corporate tickets still available
February 19 – Corporate hospitality packages for the UEFA Europa League final at the Amsterdam ArenA on May 15 are still available, 2 months after the sales programme was launched.
Europe
Harris sweetens his bid by opening to Pompey fans trust
By Andrew Warshaw
February 18 – A consortium led by Keith Harris, former chairman of the Football League but in recent years a leading football financier acting for a number of high-profile clients, has not given up taking over Portsmouth in yet another new twist to the biggest soap opera in English football ownership.
UEFA issues tender for big event ticketing
February 18 – UEFA has issued another tender for suppliers, this time a request for IT proposals for ticketing and hospitality solutions for its major events.
Serbian U21 penalties increased, slightly, after UEFA appeals racism ruling
February 18 – UEFA have increased the penalty on Serbia following the explosive Euro 2013 under-21 play-off match against England in October.
Barça chase former board members for €23m deficit
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
February 15 – Barçelona, with their fan membership scheme, have often been trumpeted as the ideal model for running a football club but even they are now embroiled in an off-the-field dispute making headlines in Spain.
Champions League odyssey wipes out Celtic’s debt
February 13 – Celtic may have lost on the pitch in their Champions League first leg last 16 tie with Juventus last night, but off the pitch they are without doubt Champions League winners.
Inter fined after Balotelli thrown into middle of second race row
February 13 – Football has been struck by yet another episode of racism with Inter Milan fined €15,000 euros by the Italian league for abusive chanting by their fans towards Mario Balotelli who has just joined arch-rivals AC Milan from Manchester City.
Hearts face uncertainty as Romanov loses control of Ukio Bankas
February 13 – Scottish Premier League club Hearts face more financial uncertainty after Lithuanian owner Vladimir Romanov had the operations of his Ukio Bankas bank suspended and put under temporary administration by Lithuania’s central bank.
Police ask for tapes of Sky Sports racism investigation
By Mark Baber
February 12 – A Special Report on the UK’s Sky Sports News broadcast yesterday (February 11) revealed how a 3 month investigation had filmed racist abuse by five white men at Millwall on November 18 aimed at Leeds forward and Senegal international El Hadj Diouf.
UEFA cuts price of Cat 4 Wembley final tickets
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
February 12 – Two years after its president Michel Platini admitted that inflated Champions League final tickets were a mistake, UEFA have cut the cost of the cheapest seats for this season’s showpiece finale.
DFB prepares coming-out guidance for clubs
By Mark Baber
February 7 – A working group under the direction of sports sociologist Gunter A. Pilz is developing guidelines for the German Football Association (DFB) to help German football clubs prepare for the potential outing of a gay player.
‘Old’ Russia is still keen for the return of a CIS league
By Richard van Poortvliet
February 6 – The idea resurrecting the Soviet Top Football League or ‘Vyshaya Liga’ is growing in popularity.
Hungary and Bulgaria lose appeals against racism penalties
By Mark Baber
February 6 – The FIFA Appeal Committee has rejected the appeals lodged by the Hungarian Football Federation and the Bulgarian Football Union against the sanctions imposed last November for racist behaviour by their fans.
Comply or die is the message as the Financial Fair Play rules start to impact Europe’s clubs
By Mark Baber
February 5 – The challenge of keeping club costs under control and within sustainable limits has been at the heart of the European Club Licensing Benchmarking Report which is now providing a measuring stick for what UEFA terms fair financial play and how the governing body will implement the rules and, most likely, enforce them.
Player wages continue upwards spiral, by 38%
By Mark Baber
February 5 – Player wages have jumped by a massive 38% over the past five years, according to the UEFA European Club Licensing Benchmarking Report, more than absorbing the increase of 24% in revenues for clubs over the period.