June 30 – Australia’s A-League clubs are increasing the stakes in their dispute with the Football Federation of Australia (FFA). Having refused the latest FFA cash offer earlier this week they are now demanding a forensic financial audit of the FFA’s accounts for the past three years.
June 30 – The Italian FA (FIGC) is to run its first Hackathon in conjunction with the University of Trento October 15-16. The FIGC is inviting registrations to event which is open to participants internationally.
June 30 – Sunderland owner Ellis Short (pictured) has taken the club off the market after sales talks with potential new German owners broke down.
By Mark Baber
June 29 – The UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is to charge six people in relation to the Hillsborough Stadium disaster that left 96 Liverpool fans dead. David Duckenfield, the police officer who was the match commander on the day of the tragedy is to be charged with 95 cases of manslaughter by gross negligence.
June 29 – West Bromwich Albion’s Chinese owner Guochuan Lai (pictured) and landscaping company Palm plan to construct up to six ‘soccer towns’ across China as part of Lai’s expansion of the West Brom brand across China.
By Mark Baber
Junne 29 – Leeds United have confirmed that their parent company has completed the purchase of the Elland Road Stadium, as had been promised by new Chairman Andrea Radrizzani.
June 29 – It may be a month to go before the match but Relevent Sports, organisers of the International Champions Cup, are ramping up the promotion of the El Clásico clash between Barcelona and Real Madrid at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on July 29.
June 29 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has officially recognised the Indian Super League. As a result, India will have two national leagues next season.
By Samindra Kunti in Kazan
June 29 – FIFA’s secretary-general Fatma Samoura has said the governing body wants to eradicate doping in the game. Samoura also welcomed the publication of the Garcia report.
From the vantage-point of today, the Garcia report has something of the air of the Dead Sea Scrolls – an important relic offering vital clues about how life was lived in a bygone era.
By Paul Nicholson and Samindra Kunti
June 28 – The Garcia report into the 2018/2022 World Cup bidding procedures is both as revealing as it is, for the most part, old news. It shows the political depths that the individuals on FIFA’s executive committee would go to solicit favours from bidders; it also shows how far bids will push their people and the rules to win. What it doesn’t do is find the smoking gun that would derail Russia or Qatar hosting 2018 or 2022.
By Mark Baber
June 28 – The outspoken Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has written to UEFA requesting an investigation into the circumstances around his country’s exit from the under-21 European Championship.
By Paul Nicholson
June 28 – FIFA reacted swiftly to the leak to German media of the Garcia Report into the 2018/ 2022 World Cup bidding process by posting the full report online. It was a smart move by FIFA that immediately took the focus of the media reports away from Qatar – who had been lined-up for a series articles from the report – and brought balance to the wider issues of the bidding process and activity of all the bidding nations.
June 28 – Football agent Jorge Mendes has denied that he helped Colombia and Monaco striker Radamel Falcao to evade tax in Spain. Mendes appeared 45 minutes before a judge in a closed doors court hearing in Madrid as part of a probe into whether Falcao could be prosecuted over tax evasion.
June 28 – The German Football Association (DFB) and Australian Football Federation (FFA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Sochi covering joint endeavours in football development.