Andrew Warshaw: UEFA flexes its political manliness over women’s election
As Europe’s blazered football leaders filed out of Budapest following one of the shortest UEFA congresses on record, how many of them were examining their consciences?
Leicester’s Thai owners vow not to sell Vardy, Mahrez or Kante
May 4 – The Thai owners of shock Premier League champions Leicester City insist they will resist attempts by more glamorous clubs to lure away their top players following their remarkable triumph that captured the imagination of fans worldwide.
Portuguese police swoop on 22 clubs with suspected Russian crime links
May 4 – Portuguese police have carried out searches at several clubs, including Lisbon rivals Benfica and Sporting, as part of ‘Operation Matryoshka Dolls’, an investigation into suspected money laundering with possible links to Russian crime.
Leicester’s title winning party is the start of a whole new social world
By Paul Nicholson
May 4 – Leicester City’s meteoric rise from the Premier League’s relegation zone to championship winners over the past 45 games has seen a similar rise in the club’s social media, propelling it into the big league of social media engagement.
Sunderland’s Black Cats in the red again
By David Owen
May 3 – Sunderland, the Wearside club battling hard to escape relegation from the Premier League under Sam Allardyce, have rounded off the annual financial results season in the English top tier by reporting a £25.4 million pre-tax loss for the year to 31 July 2015.
UEFA’s concentrated club wealth leaves little room for Infantino’s ‘solidarity’ pitch
By Paul Nicholson
May 4 – On the day that FIFA president Gianni Infantino addressed his former UEFA colleagues in Budapest with a plea for them to forgo their $5 million grants from FIFA for the greater good of developing world football, KPMG’s Football Benchmark team (also based in Budapest) produced an analysis of how UEFA has distributed its substantial wealth from its two major competitions (Champions League and Europa League) over the past three seasons.
Football or politics? Kosovo wins UEFA vote despite vehement Serbian opposition
By Andrew Warshaw
May 3 – Kosovo finally won its long battle for footballing recognition today when it became the 55th member of UEFA and, like Gibraltar, could now be fast-tracked into the 2018 World Cup qualifying programme.
UEFA plans post-Platini; Infantino wants their $5m FIFA grants for bigger picture
By Andrew Warshaw
May 3 – UEFA finally acknowledged today it is preparing for life after Michel Platini by tabling an emergency meeting of its executive committee later this month with a view to choosing an election date in case its French president loses his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the outcome of which will be announced within a week.
Aussies and Japanese team up in bid for greater glory
By Mark Baber
May 3 – The Hyundai A-League and Japanese J-League have signed a co-operation agreement which will see the two leagues share technical, marketing and administrative expertise as well as paving the way for more matches at elite youth level between Australian and Japanese clubs and encouraging loan deals between the leagues.
Hummels and Lahm head defender rankings. A Euro 2016 indicator?
May 3 – The CIES Football Observatory has released more details of its ranking of the best players in the Big 5 European leagues for this season. Dortmund’s Mats Hummels leads the list of best centrebacks while Atlético Madrid’s Filipe Luís tops the full back table.
The PL opportunity cost: Bournemouth’s Cherries pick up £39m loss after FFP penalty
By David Owen
May 3 – AFC Bournemouth, the English south-coast club that has just secured another year of Premier League football, has reported a hefty loss for its promotion season, due partly to a financial fair play penalty.
Leicester erupts in Championship joy as Spurs’ youngsters swallow the Chelsea bait
By Andrew Warshaw
May 3 – Unthinkable, unimaginable, unprecedented. Headline news across the country and worldwide. Even the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, described it as a fairytale and a “beautiful story” – one which will doubtless be told and retold for decades to come.
CAS orders FIFA to admit Gibraltar into its football family
By Andrew Warshaw
May 3 – FIFA has been controversially ordered by sport’s highest court to accept Gibraltar as a member, opening the tiny British overseas territory’s path to potentially being added to the 2018 World Cup qualifying programme.
Manaus stadium thrown another lifeline with hosting of crucial Brazil 2018 qualifier
By Samindra Kunti
May 3 – The Brazilian FA, the CBF, has confirmed that Brazil will play their World Cup qualifier against Colombia in September in Manaus.
Exclusive: Leaderless UEFA will be in nomansland until September if Platini loses
By Andrew Warshaw
May 2 – European football looks set to be without an elected leader until September if banned UEFA boss Michel Platini fails to clear his name over alleged ethics violations.