FUN88 take over from Wonga as Newcastle United shirt sponsor
May 16 – Newly promoted Newcastle United are swapping shirt sponsors with pay day loans company Wonga making way for online bookmaker and casino FUN88 in a three-year deal.
Gold Cup 2025
Mexico find the way to San Jose despite Saudi road blocks
June 28 – Mexico made hard work of overcoming Saudi Arabia 2-0 to book their place in the Gold Cup semi-final. Second half goals from Alexis Vega and Santiago Gimenez secured the win against the Gold Cup guests.
Eckert bemoans ‘lack of respect’, end of independence, and points out Greece is in Europe
By Andrew Warshaw
May 15 – Germany’s jettisoned FIFA ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert has spoken of his personal hurt at being targeted in Gianni Infantino’s purge of senior judicial personnel.
FIFA beware, Michael Garcia may be back, and this time with real FBI teeth
By Paul Nicholson
May 15 – Timing is everything in football and there would have been a few ironic smiles at the weekend when it was announced in the US that Judge Michael J. Garcia of the New York Court of Appeals was one of four candidates being interviewed for the role of FBI Director to replace the ousted James Comey.
Spurs and their fans pay emotional farewell to White Hart Lane
By Andrew Warshaw
May 15 – When the final whistle blew on Sunday to confirm Tottenham Hotspur’s highest top-flight finish in English football for 54 years, it wasn’t just coming second that prompted thousands of delirious fans to invade the pitch.
Conte’s ‘blazing inferno’ ignites a new era for Chelsea
May 15 – When Chelsea announced last April that Italian Antonio Conte would become their manager, they knew they had signed someone with a proven track record of success. But having finished 10th the previous season, getting back to winning the Premier League title straight away seemed too tall an order.
FC Barcelona lay down timetable for team launch in US’s NWSL
May 15 – Spain’s FC Barcelona will launch a team in the US National Women’s Soccer League for the 2018 season. The club, which is targeting brand growth in the US, says the team will strengthen its women’s programme.
Kuyt hat-trick fires Van Bronckhorst’s Feyenoord to Eredvisie title
By Samindra Kunti
May 15 – After 18 years Dutch giants Feyenoord have won the Eredivisie again. A stunning hat-trick from Dirk Kuyt ensured a comfortable 3-1 against Heracles to hold off Ajax Amsterdam.
AFC continues breaking records with Grassroots Day as it prepares to roll out charter
May 15 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) had 38 of its member nations take part in its grassroots football day, its fifth since 2013 and a consecutive year-on-year increase of nearly 60% from 2015 to 2017.
FIFA’s clean up turns dirty. Samoura pays for home cleaning from FIFA’s funds
By Paul Nicholson
May 13 – FIFA secretary general, Fatma Samoura, in the job for barely a year, has been caught paying over CHF28,000 to a cleaning company for the servicing of her own private living quarters.
Exclusive: At last, real integrity! Maduro says a UEFA job would not look right
By Andrew Warshaw
May 13 – The former Portuguese government minister removed from his role at FIFA in its clearout of senior governance experts says he would have to turn down any counter-offer by UEFA to take up a similar role because of how it would be perceived.
Exclusive: FIFA’s loss could be UEFA’s gain. Maduro set for European role
By Andrew Warshaw
May 12 – The former Portuguese government minister unceremoniously ditched by FIFA in its clearout of senior governance experts looks set to make an immediate return – down the road at UEFA, FIFA’s biggest rival.
Telecom giant SFR doubles TV money for European club competitions in France
May 12 – TEAM Marketing has doubled broadcast revenue from France for the Champions League and Europa League to €350 million for the 2018-21 seasons. The new money comes with a new broadcaster. Telecoms giant SFR takes over from Canal + and BeIN Sports who were paying a combined €140 million.
Palestine FA take FIFA to CAS over ‘illegal’ congress delay in Israeli dispute
By Andrew Warshaw
May 12 – Frustrated and angered by FIFA’s constant delaying tactics, the Palestine Football Association (PFA) is taking their case for a resolution to football’s Middle East crisis to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Prince Ali sees no change at FIFA saying crisis is not over
May 12 – Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, two-time losing FIFA presidential candidate, has emerged from his relative silence over recent months to denounce the regime of Gianni Infantino in the wake of events at this week’s FIFA Congress in Bahrain.
Catching a political bullet from unfriendly fire
It may now be old news rather than fake news and have been somewhat overshadowed by subsequent events in Bahrain but was the invisible hand of the biggest figure in Asian sport behind the surprise election of a relatively unknown candidate to become Asia’s female representative on the FIFA Council last Monday?