By Andrew Warshaw
August 20 – British football has been rocked by two separate cases of illegal betting, one involving a Scottish international, the other the managing director of fourth-tier club, as the outlawed practise is one again brought into sharp focus.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 19 – Russia’s sports minister Vitaly Mutko, who is also head of the country’s 2018 World Cup organising committee, has accused western media of overplaying the anti-gay issue that has caused such a furore among athletes, officials, politicians and activists.
By Mark Baber
August 19 – Indian club football has been thrown into chaos with all its I-League clubs failing to pass the club licensing test – leaving the league without a single eligible club. At the same time the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and their sponsors IMG-Reliance are continuing their drive to emulate the success of Indian cricket by restructuring football including setting up a new tournament and new franchise clubs.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 19 – Former English FA chairman David Bernstein has waded controversially into the Qatar World Cup debate by calling for a revote for the 2022 tournament in preference to any rescheduling. In recent weeks, debate has intensified over a possible switch to winter because of the fearsome mid-summer Gulf heat – an idea Bernstein has long opposed yet one that is supported by his successor, Greg Dyke.
August 19 – FIFA are hailing this week’s international friendly between Afghanistan and Pakistan and the start of the second edition of the Afghan Premier League (APL) two days later as major milestones in the recent history of Afghan football. Tuesday’s landmark friendly in Kabul is the first such fixture in Afghanistan since 2003, when the host nation played Turkmenistan, and is expected to be a full house.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 17 – Metalist Kharkiv’s attempt to be re-instated in the Champions League has been dismissed after the Court of Arbitration for Sport turned down their appeal against a UEFA ban for alleged match-fixing, clearing the way for PAOK Salonika to take their place and face Schalke in the playoff round next week.
By Mark Baber
August 16 – In the face of a public relations disaster and widespread calls for sanctions from FIFA and UEFA, Israel has relented to pressure to allow youth teams to participate in the 4th West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) U-16 Championship, it was announced by Jordanian and Palestinian officials today.
By David Owen
August 16 – The UFRJ Rio de Janeiro doping control laboratory should find out early next month if it faces possible revocation of its accreditation, insideworldfootball has learnt. Under the International Standard for Laboratories (ISL), a facility whose accreditation has been revoked is ineligible to perform testing of doping control samples for any testing authority.
By Mark Baber
August 16 – The Palestinian Football Federation has demanded FIFA expel Israel from FIFA after Israel’s refusal to grant entry permits for players and officials intending to participate in the first ever international football championship to be held in Palestine.
By Paul Nicholson
August 16 – Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has added his voice to the Qatar 2022 debate saying that he is confident that Qatar will host a “magnificent” World Cup, though a statement issued via the AFC media office stops short of entering the Winter vs Summer discussion, saying he is confident that FIFA will make the best decision for all.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 16 – As expected, Metalist Kharkiv are appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against being thrown out of their first ever Champions League campaign by UEFA over a domestic match-fixing case dating back to 2008.
By Mark Baber
August 15 – FTBpro, the fan-generated football media brand, is the new Online Media Partner of the League Managers Association (LMA). FTBpro, which has seen $7.7m invested by its largest shareholders Battery Ventures and Gemini Israel Ventures, will benefit from exclusive interviews with top current Premier League managers as well online training sessions for site users.
August 15 – Fans of Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb, sanctioned by UEFA last month for racist behaviour, are in trouble again.
By Alexander Krassimirov
August 15 – Former Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borisov (pictured) has taken a stand on the issue with the Russian energy giant Gazprom and the possible sponsorship deal with Levski Sofia. Gazprom is expected to become a major sponsor of the club in near future, a deal that has been leveraged through a government agreement for a pipeline crossing Bulgarian territory. This has led to a burst of indignation from all other clubs in Bulgarian top flight.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 14 – The match-fixing scourge that continues to plague European football has struck right at the heart of the Champions League with UEFA dramatically booting Metalist Kharkiv out of the competition.