Tifosy raises £1m to expand its crowdfunding model in Europe, China and the US
October 18 – Tifosy, the sports crowdfunding platform that enables supporters to invest in clubs, has raised £1 million via crowdfunding for its own rights issue.
UEFA and FARE call on big names to push an even bigger message on equality
October 17 – Players and clubs are supporting UEFA’s #EqualGame message at 58 matches across Europe as part of the Football People action week campaign run by the anti-discrimination group, FARE.
OM expand Orange deal with shirt sponsorship added to naming rights
October 17 – French Ligue 1 side Olympique de Marseille who started the season without a shirt sponsor, have now filled the space with an expansion of their partnership with telecommunications company Orange.
Traumatised investigators given counselling over horrors of English sex-abuse case
October 17 – Members of the legal team looking into historic sexual abuse in English football have undertaken counselling such has been the harrowing nature of their inquiry, according to UK media reports.
Honduras coach critical of 5-day Aussie turnaround for final World Cup qualifier
October 17 – The coach of Honduras has accused FIFA of being “inhumane” for scheduling the two legs of the World Cup playoff against Australia within five days of each other.
Hertha players ‘take a knee’ in support of anti-racism
October 17 – Hertha Berlin’s players and officials became the latest sports team to “take a knee” in support of anti-racism ahead of their 2-0 defeat by Schalke last weekend.
Ashley confirms Newcastle United is for sale
October 17 – Controversial Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley (pictured) has put the Premier League club up for sale after a decade-long reign in charge of the iconic English team whose 52,000 capacity stadium is close to full most weeks courtesy of a fanatical fan base.
Spurs fail to beat PL attendance record as Palace celebrate table topping week
October 17 – Predictions that Tottenham Hotspur would break the Premier League’s 10-year attendance record in their clash against Bournemouth fell 2,600 fans short with Spurs only filling 81.67% of Wembley Stadium (73,502 was the official attendance figure) for their clash with Burnley.
UAE Pro League partners with Sportradar regionally for data-driven fan engagement
October 16 – The UAE Pro League Committee (PLC) has engaged sports data and technology company Sportradar to collect and build stats-based content with the objective of building the fan base for the league in the country.
US soccer entitlement – a political concept
The US were beaten by lowly Trinidad & Tobago (no, it is one country, they weren’t playing two countries at the same time), lost fair and square and to add to their grief, Panama equalised against Costa Rica with a Thierry Henry type goal (“…the referee’s decision is final”, so don’t expect a Samoura-Senegal type replay decision to bail the US out).
Valcke denies receiving incentives from beIN Sport for World Cup TV rights
By Andrew Warshaw
October 16 – Former FIFA number two Jerome Valcke, back in the firing line after months of relative silence, has strongly denied colluding with the boss of Paris St Germain and beIN Sports, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, over suspected corruption linked to 2026 and 2030 World Cup broadcasting rights.
India smash records with U-17 World Cup and ‘open doors’ for U-20s
By Samindra Kunti in New Delhi
October 16 – The Local Organising Committee of the U-17 World Cup has hailed the tournament as “a tipping point” for Indian football after the group stages, with the “door open” for India to host the U-20 World Cup in the future.
Arena exits bloody US battleground, but Gulati believes he still has a role to play
By Andrew Warshaw
October 16 – The United States are looking for a national coach once again after Bruce Arena as expected stepped down following the humiliation of the country failing to qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time since 1986.
India crash out of U17 World Cup as England, France, Brazil and Germany dominate
By Samindra Kunti in New Delhi
October 16 – Hosts India were eliminated from their first World Cup on home soil following a 4-0 trashing by Ghana. England, France, Brazil and Germany marched into the knock-out phase with ease.
Morocco complete return to CAF favour with hosting rights to CHAN 2018
October 16 – Morocco have been confirmed as replacement hosts of the 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN), beating off competition from Equatorial Guinea and Ethiopia.