February 17 – When CONCACAF launched its U15 Boys championship in 2013 with 22 teams, it became the first confederation to hold an U15 championship. In 2014 it broke new confederation ground, hosting an U15 Girls tournament.
February 17 – Russia’s Sports Minister Vitaliy Mutko has again been critical of the Russian Football Union (RFU) for its proposal of limiting foreign players in club squads to ’10+15′, saying “what kind of celebration will we have (at the World Cup in 2018) if our own team is completely useless”.
By Alexander Krassimirov
February 17 – Alexander Tomov (pictured), the largest shareholder in Bulgaria’s CSKA Sofia, one of the country’s top four clubs, faces 10 years in prison if convicted of fraud charges brought against him by Bulgarian prosecutors.
By Mark Baber
February 16 – As the Premier League goes from strength to strength, attracting the best players from around the world at the peak of their careers, analysis of the ages of football players in Premier League squads by Infostrada highlights the “sad decline in the numbers of young (and particularly English) players in the EPL.”
February 16 – Amid continuing reaction to the Premier League’s eye-watering £5.1billion domestic television deal announced last week, one top-flight club has already said it will not use the massive increase to ease the burden on paying supporters.
February 16 – Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has pointed the finger for alleged tax evasion over the 2013 signing of Brazilian forward Neymar at his predecessor Sandro Rosell.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 16 – Egypt’s Premier League is set to resume in the wake of the fatal stampede earlier this month that left at least 20 fans dead but there is some confusion as to the exact date matches will start again.
February 14 – Europe edged out South America in the final of the Al Kass International Cup in Doha, Qatar, with Paris St Germain reversing a group loss to Brazil’s Sao Paulo, winning via a dramatic penalty shootout. Arsenal overcame AC Milan to take third place.
February 16 – FIFA president Sepp Blatter is leaving no stone unturned in his determination to secure the African vote at the presidential election in May.
By Ben Nicholson
February 16 – Las Vegas’ expansion bid has received a fatal letter from MLS Commissioner Don Garber. Addressed to Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman the letter said that the MLS would be unable to consider Las Vegas for an expansion franchise until 2018, due to “the uncertainty as to when we might be able to move forward in Las Vegas”.
February 16 – Paris St Germain striker and Swedish national team captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic took his charity support a step further with new tattoos displaying the names of 50 hungry people for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). He removed his shirt after scoring against Caen at the weekend to show the names and raise awareness for the campaign.
Capitalism and popular culture do not always make comfortable bedfellows, especially when the bed is football. The Premier League’s new £5.1 billion domestic TV rights deal has brought calls for lower ticket prices.
By Ben Nicholson
February 16 – The MLS is facing a player strike that could result in a delayed start to the season unless the league can appease the MLS Players Union in the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for the 2015 season. The issue circles around the MLS’ approach to free agency.
February 16 – The US will host the 2016 Olympic qualifying competition for the CONCACAF region this October 1-13. Eight teams will battle for two automatic qualification spots and a play-off against Colombia for a further entry to the Rio 2016 games.
By Alexander Krassimirov
February 13 – The UEFA Appeals Body has changed the punishment handed out to Bulgaria following the behaviour of fans during the European qualifier against Croatia in October 2014. Four blocks of the National Stadium Vasil Levski will now be closed for the country’s next home game against Italy on March 28.