By Ben Nicholson
June 24 – The MLS has experienced a 6.1% year-on-year average increase in attendance, as recorded prior to the start of the FIFA World Cup. The league average attendance currently sits at 18,497 spectators per game.
By Andrew Warshaw in Belo Horizonte
June 23 – The first match-fixing scam surrounding a country participating at the World Cup – though not linked to any of its actual matches here – has been fiercely denied by Ghanaian officials.
By Mark Baber
June 23 – Macau police claim to have smashed two illegal gambling rings, arresting 26 people in separate hotel raids and seizing cash and other evidence. The raids uncovered evidence of HK$5 billion in illegal bets on World Cup football matches in a week – including a single HK$40 million (£3 million) bet on one World Cup match.
By Paul Nicholson
June 23 – Human rights group Nonviolence International has released the full report written in conjunction with the Palestinian FA into the abuses and disruption by Israeli authorities of footballers and football in the Palestinian occupied territories.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
June 23 – Eintracht Frankfurt is eyeing an expanded sponsorship deal with German airline Lufthansa. The deal could generate revenues of about €5 million for the football club over the next five years.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
June 21 – The Lodz Municipal authorities have awarded the contract to build a new stadium for Widzew Lodz to Polish construction company PRM Mosty Lodz. The project is worth PLN 120 million (€29 million) and is scheduled to be completed within 28 months.
By Mark Baber
June 20- Media stories about employees taking time off work because of the World Cup, which began with stories in the Chinese media of fake sick notes being sold to Chinese fans, were eagerly picked up by Western media for their interest value have now returned home with evidence the UK economy will be taking a hit from yesterday’s England-Uruguay game.
By Mark Baber
June 20- Despite there being no immediate claim of responsibility, Boko Haram militants are almost certainly behind Wednesday’s bombing in northern Nigeria which targeted football fans watching Brazil playing Mexico, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens including men, women and children.
By Mark Baber
June 20- Swansea City has agreed a two-year extension with Hong Kong-based Goldenway Global Group as the club’s main sponsor. The deal means Goldenway’s GWFX brand logo will remain on player shirts, following the success of the initial one year partnership.
By David Owen
June 19 – Anyone with an eye for such things might have noticed, as much-fancied Belgium laboured to get the better of Algeria in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday, that the kit worn by world football’s other Red Devils bore an unfamiliar logo.
By Mark Baber
June 19 – The long-running dispute over Botswana President Ian Khama’s (pictured) constituency football tournaments has reached a new level of seriousness as FIFA insist the issue of bringing the tournaments under the authority of the Botswana Football Association (BFA) must be resolved by September 22 or the BFA faces possible suspension from FIFA.
By Andrew Warshaw
June 19 – Lionel Messi’s excellent start to the World Cup has been given a further boost off the field with reports that charges of tax evasion against the Argentine skipper are being dropped.
By Mark Baber
June 18 – Recent western media reports suggesting that Russia is “not giving up on a Football Super League” in the post-Soviet space turns out to be somewhat spurious with the current state of relations between Moscow and Kiev making it even less likely than was previously the case.
By Mark Baber
June 18 – Chinese beer industry, and particularly Tsingtao Brewery and Anheuser-Busch InBev owned Harbin Beer are using World Cup to boost market share, especially amongst the younger demographic.
June 18 – The Birmingham Crown Court match fixing trial has convicted one player from England’s Conference South and two Singaporeans of involvement in a conspiracy targeting lower league clubs. A further player was cleared while verdict is still awaited on another.