Mihir Bose: Football’s Janus face
Has there ever been a time when football has been so much in demand, even likely to affect a British general election, yet the people who run the sport are considered so incompetent, if not downright dishonest?
Gold Cup teams to get integrity officers to police match-fixing threat
April 30 – CONCACAF is to assign an integrity officer to each of the teams in this July’s Gold Cup, the confederation’s premier national team tournament. The officers will travel and stay with the teams to discourage approaches from match-fixers.
Infantino threatens ‘Grexit’ unless Greek politicos back down
By Matt Scott
April 29 – Gianni Infantino has hit back at accusations in Greece that UEFA has sat idly by while corruption at the heart of the Hellenic Football Federation destroys the game from within.
Diary notes on the campaign trail: Figo wants more of everything
29 April – FIFA presidential candidate Louis Figo is heading to Bahrain for the Asian Football Confederation Congress, hoping to win votes with his platform promise of increased future World Cup final places for the AFC’s members.
Records tumble as Montreal Impact sell-out for Champions League decider
By Paul Nicholson
April 29 – The second leg of the CONCACAF Scotiabank Champions League final kicks off tonight in Montreal in front of a sell out crowd. Last week the first leg of the final between Club America and Montreal Impact ended even at 1-1 in front of an estimated 80,000+ spectators in Mexico City’s iconic Azteca Stadium.
Kappa adds Benítez’s Napoli in five-year kit deal
By David Owen
April 29 – Kit-maker Kappa have added Napoli to their stable of Italian Serie A clubs.
Greek corruption: Club chiefs beg UEFA for help to break football ‘mafia’
By Matt Scott
April 29 – Some of the most senior figures in Greek club football have begged UEFA and FIFA to assist the Syriza government in tackling the institutional corruption that is defiling the Super League.
Feyenoord fans’ €50,000 slip on inflatable banana skin
By Samindra Kunti
April 29 – Dutch club Feyenoord faces an UEFA-imposed fine of €50,000 and playing its next European match behind closed doors after a “racist incident” during this season’s Europa League tie between Feyenoord and AS Roma.
Real and Atletico to be punished for busting anti-child trafficking rules
By Mark Baber
April 29 – Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, second and third in the Spanish League and last year’s Champions League finalists, are due to be punished by FIFA for breaches of the FIFA regulations on transfers of minors which were designed to prevent child trafficking, according to reports in the Spanish media.
Le Graët says France is ready to profit from Euro 2016
By Samindra Kunti
April 29 – President of the French Football Federation (FFF) Noël Le Graët (pictured), has claimed that EURO 2016 will be “extraordinary”, and that preparations are well advanced.
Penev takes head coach job at chaotic CSKA Sofia, unpaid
By Alexander Krassimirov
April 29 – A former striker for Atletico Madrid and former Bulgarian coach Lyuboslav Penev (pictured) has taken on the job of head coach at one of the country’s biggest clubs, CSKA Sofia – unpaid. Penev will work without salary for the remaining five games of the season when his contract will expire.
Man Utd to face Barca, PSG, Club America and the Quakes in July
April 29 – Manchester United have released dates for their pre-season tour to the US this summer as well as changes to the opponents they had initially said they will face in the ‘International Champions Cup’.
Qataris stand aside as AFC chieftains gather for Bahrain congress
By Andrew Warshaw in Manama, Bahrain
April 28 – Forty-eight hours before far-reaching elections that could shape the future of Asian football, Qatar’s bid for a place at the top table of FIFA was withdrawn today after its federation vice-president Saud Al Mohannadi pulled out of the running, fuelling the prospect of a powerful alliance between the Continent’s two most influential sports officials.
Andrew Warshaw: Fair play for whom? Just ask Enfield
Imagine the outcry if a leading English club was deducted three points just as it was about to clinch the Premier League title – for no other reason than being a victim of its own integrity and honesty.
Steaua Bucharest’s badge auction to bring up to €8m but jailed Becali is not buying
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
April 28 – Steaua Bucharest’s controversial owner Gigi Becali has announced he will not seek to win the forthcoming auction of the club’s badge which is owned by the Romanian Armed Forces. Instead the businessman, who is currently serving a prison sentence for corruption, kidnapping and match-fixing, says that he wants to focus the club’s efforts on securing new transfers for the 2015/16 season and potential UEFA Champions League qualification.