Barça’s La Liga triumph boosts Gunners’ transfer war chest
By Gareth Messenger
May 15 – Arsenal are expected to receive a windfall of around £3million after Barcelona were officially revealed as the new champions of Spain.
Europe
Zenit loses CAS appeal, with points staying with Dynamo Moscow
By Mark Baber
May 15 – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld the award of a 3-0 win to Dynamo Moscow, imposed by the Football Union of Russia (FUR), after the game between Dynamo and Zenit was abandoned after Dynamo’s goalkeeper was hit by a flare thrown by Zenit fans. The panel also rejected Zenit’s requests to sanction Dynamo Moscow.
Big money kit deals increase as suppliers compete for Europe’s top clubs
By Paul Nicholson
May 15 – The value of kit deals in the English Premier League has jumped a massive 32%, while the cost of a replica shirt in England has risen 8.3% but is still the lowest priced on average in comparison to Europe’s other major leagues, according to a report released today.
ITV adds European football output with England games, Sky picks up the rest
By Paul Nicholson
May 15 – The battle for premium broadcast football rights continues in the UK with ITV picking up the rights to England Euro 2016 and 2018 World Cup qualifying competitions.
Spanish shuffle match officials as calls for higher standards get louder
By Monica Villar
May 14 – Calls for an overhaul of the Spanish refereeing system are becoming louder. Spanish referees have come under fire as the season comes to a close and poor decisions potentially mean life or death in the race to survive in la Liga’s top division.
European fans want a standing option at matches, finds survey
May 14 – Three-quarters of European football fans interviewed in a new survey want the option to stand while watching games.
Roma are fined €50,000 but escape wider sanctions, this time
By Andrew Warshaw
May 14 – Italian authorities have wasted no time punishing Roma for the racist chanting of their fans by slapping them with a €50,000 fine – but nothing stronger.
SKY Italia wins anti-trust rights case on Champions League and World Cup
By Paul Nicholson
May 14 – After a two-year wait, the Italian Antitrust Authority (AGCM) has finally ruled in favour of Sky Italia that there is no evidence the broadcaster abused its dominant position in its acquisition of Champions League TV rights (2012-15) and FIFA World Cup rights for 2010 and 2014.
FTBpro raises $5.8 million in new wave of investment in football sites
By Mark Baber
May 13 – FTBpro has raised $5.8 million from Israeli investors, Battery Ventures and Gemini Israel Ventures to expand its “fan-generated” content offering into new markets.
Platini says it is time to record ref’s conversations
By Monica Villar
May 13 – UEFA President Michel Platini has suggested that the time has come to record conversations between referees during Champions League matches. He spoke during a visit to Lille in preparation for the 2016 European championship.
Serie A game halted as Roma fans chant racist abuse at San Siro
By Andrew Warshaw
May 13 – Despite a recent crackdown on racism by football’s governing bodies, Sunday’s high-profile Serie A clash between AC Milan and Roma was halted because of abusive chanting by fans. Play was stopped by the referee for about two minutes at the start of the second half after chants were aimed at Milan’s black players from visiting Roma fans.
Del Nido calls for fairer split of Spanish TV money and warns of more financial pain to come
By Monica Villar
May 10 – Sevilla president José María del Nido has again spoken out against the LFP, blaming the league for creating the economic difficulties Spanish clubs now face.
Sporting CP president criticises agents over confidentiality breaches
By Monica Villar
May 9 – Sporting Clube de Portugal President Bruno de Carvalho has struck out at players agents and representatives after newspapers published reports regarding his team’s squad.
Exclusive: Cyprus unification talks stall over wording of draft agreement
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
May 9 – Landmark talks with FIFA aimed at creating an historic deal to unify football in Cyprus have stalled as Greek and Turkish Cypriot officials grapple with the wording of a firm agreement.
Rights agency Kentaro hit with law suit over Brazilian national team profits
May 8 – Sports rights agency Kentaro, is being sued by football investment fund Global Eleven, over failing to return profits from matches played by world champions Brazil.