Welsh confident they can nab Euro 2020 spot
April 29- Welsh officials believe their bid to stage group matches at Euro 2020 could be given preference over some of their main rivals.
World Football
UEFA keep quiet on FFP rule breakers, but promise names in May
By Andrew Warshaw
April 29- Uefa are refusing to confirm that big-spending Manchester City and Paris St-Germain are facing sanctions for breaching financial fair play (FFP) rules.
Blatter quick to support Alves calling banana incident an ‘outrage’
By Andrew Warshaw
April 29- Fifa President Sepp Blatter has condemned the recent case of racism aimed at Barcelona’s Brazilian defender Dani Alves as an “outrage” and has re-iterated that a policy of zero tolerance will be implemented at this summer’s World Cup.
CONCACAF readies for historic announcement as Webb ponders change
By Paul Nicholson
April 29 – With CONCACAF and South American confederation CONMEBOL readying for their Miami press conference, CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb has hinted that changes to the accepted structures of the regional competitions could be considered in the future.
CFU make history with launch of first Women’s Caribbean Cup
By Paul Nicholson
April 29 – History will be made in the Caribbean next month when the first Caribbean Football Union (CFU) senior women’s tournament will be held. Winners of the inaugural CFU Women’s Caribbean Cup will qualify for both the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup and the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Spartak face sanctions after fans go on rampage in Kazan
By Richard van Poortvliet
April 28 – Spartak Moscow could be in yet more hot water with the Russian Football Union following the behaviour of their fans during their 2-1 defeat at Rubin Kazan on April 20.
ISL runs into fixture clashes as AIFF moots possible merger with I-League
By Mark Baber
April 28 – Following the successful auction of Indian Super League (ISL) franchises, the new competition has run into difficulties with fixture congestion and recruitment of players. With Bollywood superstars have been drawn into popularising the game, the AIFF for the first time has suggested a merger possibility of the new league with the pre-existing I-League.
Hungary’s MTK to build new €21m stadium
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
April 28 – Hungary’s MTK is planning to spend 6.5 billion forint (€21 million) on building a new stadium, according to Tamas Deutsch, the club’s chief executive.
Liberté Fraternité Inégalité: PSG generate 20 times more revenue than Corsican rival
By David Owen
April 28 – The revenues of Paris Saint-Germain, the French club whose prospects have been transformed since Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) took control three years ago, exceeded those of its smallest Ligue 1 rival by a factor of 20 in the 2012-13 season.
Turkish pull-out leaves England and Germany in run off for 2020 Euro finale
By Andrew Warshaw
April 26 – Traditional powerhouse rivals Germany and England will go head to head off the pitch for the right to stage the semifinals and final of Euro 2020 after Turkish officials unexpectedly withdrew favourites Istanbul from the running in order to concentrate solely on 2024.
Malaysian match-fixer sentenced to 3 years jail Down Under
April 25 – The Malaysian ringleader of Australia’s notorious match-fixing scandal has been jailed for three years – with two of them suspended – and the club involved deducted eight points.
Politics, business or posturing? Schalke’s Russian invite draws fire in Germany
April 25 – An unusual spat has broken out in Germany after leading club Schalke 04, sponsored by Russian energy giant Gazprom, was criticised for considering visiting Russia amid increasing tensions with the west over the crisis in Ukraine.
German investment group eyes up acquisition of Korona Kielce
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
April 25 – German investment group HFK is considering buying trouble Polish club Korona Kielce. The club is owned by the city of Kielce whose authorities are currently negotiating the potential sale.
Bidders declare as midnight deadline closes in for Euro 2020 host city pitches
By Andrew Warshaw
April 25 – Prospective Euro 2020 host cities were putting the finishing touches to their bid dossiers today as UEFA prepared to unveil the names of candidates in the frame to stage the pan-European tournament.
Platini pulls back from harsh sanctions of FFP rule-breaking clubs
By Andrew Warshaw
April 25 – Europe’s loss-making clubs will be breathing a sigh of relief after UEFA president Michel Platini confirmed that none of them will face the ultimate sanction of competition bans for breaching financial fair play regulations.