September 5 – The Jamaican Premier League launched this week with the announcement that Red Stripe has committed to the sponsorship of the competition for the next five seasons.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 5 – Europe’s top coaches are not convinced that UEFA’s plan to change the seeding system for the Champions League will be that significant. The format is being altered in future to avoid domestic champions being ranked lower than other clubs from the same country and to prevent them being drawn in the same group such as Group A this season where the champions of Italy (Juventus), Spain (Atletico Madrid),
September 5 – South African officials say they are becoming increasingly frustrated by a match-fixing saga that has been dragging on for four years and has still not been resolved.
By Paul Nicholson
September 5 – Sports data gathering giant STATS has acquired Bloomberg Sports, the sports data and analytics leaders in the US sports market. The merger creates a powerful data, technology, analytics and content group serving a broadbase of clients from media to leagues and teams globally.
By Mark Baber
September 4 – FIFA has again stepped into the Nigerian football morass in a further attempt to bring sanity to the troubled federation which has seen rival factions emerge, both claiming leadership. The Giwa faction claims Chris Giwa was fairly elected whilst Aminu Maigari was under arrest by security forces. The Maigari faction was planning to hold elections today and regards Giwa as an interloper.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 3 – Although he is mainly known in football politics for being Asia’s FIFA vice-president and one of the game’s renowned modernists, Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein is also head of Jordanian football and in an attempt to boost his country’s profile has turned to one of England’s most familiar faces to be its next national coach.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 4 – Despite all the pre-World Cup rhetoric about the tournament helping to reduce racism in Brazilian football, leading club Gremio have just been banned from the country’s main cup competition after some of their fans abused a Santos player.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 4 – Further evidence has emerged that Germany will withdraw its bid to host the latter stages of Euro 2020, ensuring Wembley stages the semi-final and final. Last week in Monaco, both countries privately hinted that a deal had been done, echoing a previous gentleman’s agreement England were accused of reneging on back in the 1990s.
September 4 – A Female Coaches Advocacy Group has been launched in the US to encourage and promote women into coaching the game. The group is to start at the state level in Colorado and in Southern California with Cal South to create a state network of women in coaching to start dialogue with mentor college women to get involved in coaching.
By Mark Baber
September 3 – Nigerian football remains in chaos as two rival factions within the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) battle for legitimacy. The Giwa-led faction claims he was elected President last week whilst the Maigari-led faction have organised new elections for tomorrow (Thursday).
September 3 – UEFA are attempting to distance themselves from a potentially awkward situation at next week’s anti-discrimination conference in Rome.
September 3 – Italy’s leading team on the pitch continues to lead the country’s social media off it, this time with a video skit made on Juventus’ Australian tour using dead-pan Italy star Andrea Pirlo.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
September 3 – Polish businessman Wieslaw Wlodarski has announced he is aiming to take over Wisla Krakow from its current owner, Boguslaw Cupial. The announcement was made following the signing of a three-year sponsorship deal between Wlodarski’s company, Foodcare, and the Krakow-based football side.
By Ben Nicholson
September 3 – Jürgen Klinsmann (pictured) has again voiced his discontent with the MLS calendar, stating categorically that the structure is “not working anymore”. His wish is for the MLS to “extend the season. Obviously you get 21 teams next year. Start earlier, finish later, but open these slots for the national team program.”
September 2 – The final national team squads for the Central American Cup Tigo 2014 that kicks off tomorrow have been announced, boasting multiple World Cup players amongst MLS and Europe-based players. However, there is a strong contingent of home-based players in each squad, serving not only as a reflection of each nation’s best 11, but also as a point of comparison for each nation’s respective club leagues.