By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent, in Manchester
April 10 – In arguably the biggest crackdown to date to tackle racism in football, UEFA will ban players and officials for a minimum 10 games if they are found guilty of abuse – and are also hitting fans hard by ordering teams to play behind closed doors.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 10 – The High Court hearing into the future of ailing English club Portsmouth was finally due to get under way today in what supporters hope will result in the biggest fan ownership scheme in English football.
By Krzysztof Baranowski
April 10 – Poland’s top professional league, the T-Mobile Ekstraklasa, has radically reformed its structure for the 2013/14 season that is scheduled to kick off July 13 and play through to May 2014. The changes have been prompted by a requirement to make the league more attractive for media partners and sponsors.
By Gareth Messenger
April 9 – A total 70 players from sides residing in the Primera and Segunda divisions met in Madrid yesterday at a meeting organised by the Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE) to discuss a range of topics from legal uncertainty to economic control of football clubs.
By Mark Baber
April 9 – As the English Premier League and its clubs enjoy massive TV revenue and chunky sponsorship deals, even for training kits, the next levels down are struggling to find sponsors.
By Mónica Villar
April 9 – Spain’s PLa Liga side Valladolid are considering legal action after it came to light that Atlético de Madrid’s Sporting director, José Luis Pérez Caminero, has had a secret meeting with Valladolid winger Patrick Ebert.
By Monica Villar
April 8 – Deportivo La Coruna may be showing signs of improvement on the pitch as the season comes to a close, but economically the Galicians are having a tough time as the life-threatening battle over cash to run the club intensifies.
By Tom Parsons
April 4 – Real Madrid will have to wait longer for the EU decision on whether they received illegal state aid surrounding property deals, a decision that could have wider consequences for other clubs in Europe.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 4 – Controversial England midfielder Joey Barton, currently playing for Marseille, is in trouble again after arch-rivals Paris St Germain threatened action against him for likening PSG’s Brazilian defender Thiago Silva to a transsexual on his Twitter account.
By Mark Baber
April 4 – As the UEFA Congress vote in May on Gibraltar’s football status nears, the Spanish Government has declared that it will back the Spanish Football Federation in trying to block Gibraltar’s full membership. In answer to questions from Ezquerra Republicana de Cataluña (ERC) representative Alfred Bosch in the Madrid Cortes, a Spanish government spokesman said: “At this point in time, the Government does not consider the possible staging of official football matches between Spain and Gibraltar.
By Mark Baber
April 3 – The French government remains determined to fulfil its manifesto commitment to bring in a new 75% supertax, despite judicial setbacks. The supertax will apply to companies who pay salaries over €1 million, including football clubs.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 3 – England’s fate over the alleged racist abuse directed towards defender Rio Ferdinand and his brother Anton could be heard by FIFA as early as April 10.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 29 – England’s leading fans group and Europe’s anti-racism network are going head-to-head over claims that racist abuse was directed at England defender Rio Ferdinand during the recent 8-0 thrashing of San Marino.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 28 – UEFA has joined forces with clubs and players in a unified attack on racism and has re-iterated its position that referees have the authority to stop and abandon matches. European football’s governing body reminded officials they were authorised four years ago to halt games in case of serious racism incidents, a policy that has been largely ignored but rekindled in the wake of Kevin-Prince Boeteng’s walk-off.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 28 – The lawyer who helped changed the face of European football has warned that UEFA’s Financial Fair Play system may not stand up in court if challenged. Jean-Louis Dupont (pictured), part of the legal team who brought about the Bosman ruling back in the 1990s, says FFP risks violating competition law and freedom of movement.