By Andrew Warshaw
February 20 – Two controversial Champions League sendings-off this week have re-focussed attention on the so-called ‘triple punishment’ – penalty, sending off and subsequent suspension – that continues to so cause so must consternation throughout the game.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 20 – Kosovan football authorities are celebrating another significant step forward after the head of their federation, Fadil Vokrri, held potential breakthrough talks with UEFA President Michel Platini in the Albanian capital of Tirana.
By Paul Nicholson
February 20 – A FIFA delegation today starts an 11-day inspection visit of India in preparation for the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup. The tournament will be the first major FIFA competition hosted by India, a member of the Asia Football Confederation (AFC).
February 20 – UEFA have been forced to switch Dynamo Kiev’s Europa League first-leg last-32 tie with Spain’s Valencia tonight to neutral ground in Cyprus because of the violence and political unrest in Ukraine’s capital city that has tragically caused at least 26 deaths.
By David Owen
February 20 – Manchester United’s teenage prodigy, Adnan Januzaj, has been made an honorary ambassador of the republic of Kosovo. Januzaj was the first of four footballers awarded the title this week by Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga for contributions to “affirmation of the interests of the Republic of Kosovo”.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 19 – UEFA are continuing their crackdown on racism by ordering CSKA Moscow to play their next European home game behind closed doors. Apollon Limassol of Cyprus and the Serbian Under-21 team, the latter previously embroiled in racism accusations following a game against England in 2012, have also been handed partial stadium closures because of monkey chanting by supporters.
By Jamie Styles
February 19 – Barcelona’s three official Twitter profiles were hacked on Tuesday, just hours after their 2-0 win over Manchester City in the Champions League.
February 19 – Sandro Rosell, who dramatically quit as Barcelona president partly over an investigation into last year’s signing of star Brazilian forward Neymar, is reportedly no longer facing unconnected allegations that he benefitted illegally from a friendly match involving the Brazilian national team.
February 19 – Fans of embattled Scottish Premier League club Heart of Midlothian are being asked to contribute financially for a further two years as the club transitions out of insolvency towards fan ownership and, hopefully, stability.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
February 18 – Petr Safarcik has become the majority shareholder of FC Banik Ostrava, the Czech football club said in a statement. With the acquisition of shares from local businessman Libor Adamek, Safarcik controls a combined 95% of the shares in Banik through his company PAM Market and as a private investor. The amount of the deal was not disclosed by the two businessmen.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 18 – Kosovan footballing authorities are hoping to persuade Manchester United’s rising teenage star Adnan Januzaj to play in their symbolic first ever meaningful international friendly.
February 18 – Bulgaria has again been hit by match-fixing, with police launching an investigation into claims that fixers attempted to rig the result of a domestic league match earlier this season.
By Paul Nicholson
February 18 – The tensions and distrust between the Israelis and the Palestinians regarding the negotiation of freedom of movement for Palestinian footballers, have been sharpened with the news that the two young Palestinian footballers shot by Israeli security forces in the West Bank are unlikely to play again.
By Paul Nicholson
February 17 – The US men’s national team may face the ‘group of death’ in Brazil at the World Cup finals – Germany, Portugal and Ghana are their opponents – but it is very much alive and kicking as preparations for the Finals start to take shape with one eye also firmly fixed on the future.
By Alexander Krassimirov
February 17 – Levski Sofia owner Todor Batkov (pictured) says that the Russian energy giant Gazprom is still an option for the main sponsorship of the club. The Russian company has frequently been named in connection with the Bulgarian cub for almost for two years, but there has been no firm developments to date.