Mourinho calls fine a ‘disgrace’ as he complains of witchhunt
October 16 – Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has branded his Football Association fine a “disgrace” – landing himself in danger of a further sanction.
English stage u-turn as FA ‘suspends’ backing for Platini
By Andrew Warshaw
October 16 – UEFA’s unconvincing attempt to speak with one voice in favour of Michel Platini’s bid for the FIFA presidency has been blown to bits by the English Football Association announcing it has put its support for the Frenchman on hold because of the unexplained payment that led to him being suspended by FIFA’s ethics committee.
Sheiking things up: Salman poised to declare entry into FIFA presidential race
By Andrew Warshaw
October 16 – The FIFA presidential race has taken another decisive twist with Asian football chief Sheik Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa staging a u-turn to stand to take over from Sepp Blatter in February. The Bahraini had originally given his backing to Michel Platini but has taken a timely strategic gamble to run himself following Platini’s suspension and the likelihood that Europe will have no other credible candidate who Asia could get behind.
Nevada bans fantasy games as calls for robust policing for football games intensifies
By Paul Nicholson
October 16 – The fantasy sports scandal in the US where an employee of DraftKings won $350,000 on rival site FanDuel using insider information, has sparked a wave of calls for regulation of a business that is based on betting real money on imaginary sporting outcomes.
Rocha’s hopes for extradition to Nicaragua smashed as Swiss send him to US
By Andrew Warshaw
October 16 – Julio Rocha – another of the un-magnificent Zurich Seven – will be extradited to the United States and not to his native Nicaragua as he had hoped, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) has announced.
UEFA hold the line and stick by Platini, but say FIFA election must go ahead
By Andrew Warshaw
October 16 – European football’s governing has urgently called for the investigation into Michel Platini to be cleared up by mid-November so that he can still run for FIFA president – but left the door open for a backup candidate to stand instead in case the UEFA chief’s 90-day provisional suspension turns into a longer ban.
Russia builds World Cup bases and makes plans for stadium beer sales
October 15 – Spartak Moscow, already playing in a new stadium (the Otkritie Arena) that has been built for 2018 Russia World Cup, is to also get a new training base in Tushine at a cost of RUB1 billion ($16 million), according to the club’s owner Leonid Fedun.
Prince Ali submits presidential nomination with rallying cry for FIFA’s future
By Andrew Warshaw
October 15 – With precision strategic timing, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein has formally submitted his candidature to take over from Sepp Blatter as FIFA president – 11 days before the deadline for nominations.
Survey finds ticket costs stable or falling, but replica shirts aren’t cheap
By Mark Baber
October 15 – The BBC’s fifth annual 2015 Price of Football survey reveals the cost of watching football in the UK has dropped or remained the same for the majority of fans.
Saints and sinners: Mourinho penalised for penalty outburst
October 15 – Chelsea’s outspoken Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho, increasingly under pressure after his team’s dismal start to the season by their own high standards, has been slapped with a suspended one-match stadium ban and fined £50,000 by the English Football Association for comments made about match officials.
Thais postpone election to give Makudi chance to clear his name
By Andrew Warshaw
October 15 – The Thai FA has given in to pressure and postponed this weekend’s presidential election after present incumbent Worawi Makudi was suspended by FIFA’s ethics committee.
UEFA nations in Nyon for Emergency session to decide leadership
By Andrew Warshaw
October 15 – European football’s full membership is meeting in emergency session at UEFA headquarters today to decide whether to drop support for their leader’s bid to succeed Sepp Blatter as FIFA president in February – and what to do about the immediate future of their own organisation.
Norway’s Sandnes Ulf lines up new €16m stadium for promotion push
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
October 15 – Norwegian side Sandnes Ulf has confirmed its long-awaited plans to open a new stadium to support its efforts to secure promotion back to the country’s top tier. But the wait isn’t over as the stadium will not be completed until 2018.
Matt Scott: Why the embers of past court battles could be fanned into a fire engulfing Blatter
“Il n’y a pas le feu au lac” – “The lake’s not on fire.” Swiss saying
If the famous Lake Geneva is not painting the sky with flames – and, quite obviously, it never has nor will – it’s said to be difficult to rouse a Swiss to any sense of urgency. Other French-speaking nations believe that in the land of the cuckoo clock and precision watches, time moves slowly.
Man City joins Premier League profits party with £10.4m showing
By David Owen
October 15 – Manchester City has emulated the bulk of its Premier League rivals by moving into profit – for the first time since the club’s takeover by Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan in 2008. The club from the blue side of Manchester reported a pre-tax profit of £10.4 million for the year to end-May 2015.