By Andrew Warshaw
September 30 – Ramon Vega may be better known as a former international footballer and highly successful financial asset management guru than an influential voice on FIFA matters.
September 30 – Manchester City have kept up the pace of new club partnerships and initiatives with the announcement of pharmaceutical company Mundipharma as the ‘Official Healthcare Product Partner of Manchester City Football Club’ in Asia Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. The club has also launched a new CityVR app to engage fans via virtual reality.
Mundipharma will use Manchester City branding in some of their marketing and advertising campaigns.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 30 – In a clear message to FIFA that racism is still prevalent despite the scrapping of its anti-discrimination body, Russian club FC Rostov are likely to face a UEFA disciplinary sanction after a banana was thrown on to the field during their Champions League game against PSV Eindhoven.
September 30 – UEFA have run out patience with fans of Polish club Legia Warsaw and have ordered them to play their next Champions League game, against holders Real Madrid on November 2, behind closed doors.
September 30 – The system of additional assistant referees, brainchild of former UEFA president Michel Platini who always preferred it to goal-line technology, is to be adopted by Asia.
September 29 – Scottish giants Celtic have received their ninth UEFA sanction in five years in after the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) decided to fine the club €10,000 for flying pro-Palestinian flags at their Champions League play-off, first leg tie, against Israel’s Hapoel Beer-Sheva.
By Paul Nicholson
September 29 – Big thinking Premier League club Liverpool may shelve the next phase of their stadium development, according to comments made by owner John Henry in the US.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 29 – Israel is trying to block moves to suspend five Israeli league teams controversially situated in the occupied West Bank, according to local reports.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 29 – Following the stunning abandonment of the Asian Football Confederation’s extraordinary congress in Goa, sparked by FIFA’s ban of Qatari Saoud Al-Mohannadi from standing for election to join its new ruling council because of an ongoing ethics investigation, attention has switched to Africa where another candidate has suddenly withdrawn from that region’s Council election being held today.
September 29 – The Association of Football Agents has called for a total reform of the current system in order to tighten it up and make it “globally enforceable” following the revelations in Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper that have rocked the English game.
September 29 – The cash-strapped Nigerian Football Federation has dismissed reports that it is too broke to send a team to Zambia for a forthcoming World Cup qualifier.
September 29 – Manchester City have extended their five-year partnership with EA Sports. The video game developer will remain as the Club’s Official Gaming Partner.
By Paul Nicholson
September 28 – The sensational abandonment of the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) extraordinary congress yesterday has drawn something of an ambivalent response from FIFA president Gianni Infantino, the man the action was intended to send a clear message to.
By Paul Nicholson
September 28 – The CIES Football Observatory has dug deeper into its transfer spend data of big-5 league clubs to examine where the money is being spent and how far down the football chain it is reaching. The answer is that probably not as far as clubs and leagues would like to pretend.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 28 – Markus Kattner (pictured), FIFA’s former secretary general who was sacked in highly controversial circumstances by the new administration of Gianni Infantino, has reportedly begun legal action to challenge the “unjustified” move.