Lionesses roar in the rain. Dutch have the courage. France and Germany slow to start
July 24 – With two rounds of group games completed in the Women’s Euro 2017 in Holland, the hosts and England are the only two teams with a 100% record.
Qatar’s beIN Sport beats the blockade with UEFA TV rights win
July 24 – The Saudi Arabian-led boycott of Qatari-owned beIn Sport as part of the diplomatic dispute in the region has not prevented the channel being awarded Middle Eastern and North African broadcasting rights for the Champions League and Europa League.
Tebas consigns Villar to history and says now Spanish federation must be cleaned out
July 24 – Javier Tebas, controversial head of the Spanish League who has fought an often acrimonious war of words with Federation President Angel Maria Villar, has welcomed the arrest of FIFA’s number two official saying Villar is now “history” after he was jailed without bail pending an investigation into corruption allegations.
Huddersfield Town cash-in on sponsorship opportunities of Premier League
July 24 – Premier League newcomers Huddersfield Town are capitalising on their commercial opportunity with a new record shirt sponsor as well as new and renewed commercial partnerships.
FIFPro demand action over Serbian player attacked by fans in dressing room
July 24 – The world players union FIFPro is demanding a response from UEFA after a player with Serbian club FK Vojvodina was allegedly attacked in the dressing room by his team’s own fans following a Europa League tie.
More than they can chew: Romero and Ceren banned for biting US players
July 24 – El Salvador defender Henry Romero has received a six-game ban after biting USA striker Jozy Altidore during their Gold Cup quarter-final.
Exclusive: Battered, bruised and bitter Mayne-Nicholls is back in the game
By Andrew Warshaw
July 21 – Harold Mayne-Nicholls, the FIFA-appointed official who led the inspection team that evaluated the credentials of all 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding candidates, has emerged from his prolonged silence with all guns blazing to launch a blistering attack on those he says turned his life into a “nightmare”.
Ghana FA reacts fiercely to ‘maliciously false’ reports of disappearing Puma cash
July 21 – The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has reacted swiftly to accusations that money from Puma’s kit deal has not been accounted for through the federation’s accounts, saying that the reports are “maliciously false, calculated to cause damage to the reputation of the GFA and (GFA president) Mr Nyantakyi.”
Villar stays in jail as Spanish judge denies bail due to flight risk
By Andrew Warshaw
July 21 – Angel Maria Villar, FIFA’s second most senior official and an ally of Gianni Infantino, has been denied bail along with his son following their sensational arrest earlier this week as part of an anti-corruption probe by Spanish authorities.
Premier League clubs head race for global fans, Europe’s elite are slow starters
July 21 – Football has always been global but the concept that its biggest club brands are also global opportunities is never more obvious than in the pre-season tours that see the giant of the European club game play ad-hoc tournaments, friendlies and exhibition game across the globe.
CAF add teams, revamp calendar and switch AFCON to June date from 2019
July 21 – African football chiefs have rubber-stamped the biggest ever overhaul to the Continent’s showpiece competition by agreeing to switch the African Nations Cup from its traditional January date to June and expand the finals to 24 teams – starting with the next edition in 2019 in Cameroon.
AT&T redials sponsorships with MLS, U.S. Soccer and Mexican team tour
July 21- US telecoms giant AT&T has extended its long-running sponsorships with soccer in the country renewing deals with the MLS, U.S. Soccer and the annual Mexican national team tour in the US.
Africa’s expanded 24-team AFCON showcase to switch play from January to June
By Andrew Warshaw
July 20 – The biennial club-versus-country row that has dogged African football’s major competition looks set to end after a landmark decision to switch the African Cup of Nations from January to June.
A man above all suspicion
The man who was arrested by the anti-corruption unit of the Guardia Civil in Madrid the other day, former FIFA and UEFA Grande Angel Maria Villar-Llona (alongside his son Gorka who ran CONMEBOL, leaving behind a major shambles) should not have been arrested at all.
So what do we really know about Qatar that isn’t fake?
July 20 – The G20 demonstrations in Hamburg against Qatar last Saturday were paid for by an Egyptian businessman, according to German reports. The fake event that in turn spawned ‘fake’ news reports is one of an increasingly distorting series of stories and revelations that make the real situation in Qatar hard to understand, especially when trying to put into context any impact the blockade will have on the 2022 World Cup preparations and hosting.