May 6 – China may be spending like crazy to lure a string of big-name overseas players to its domestic Super League and have put in place an eye-watering blueprint for grassroots development at national level but money doesn’t automatically buy you success.
By James Dostoyevsky
May 5 – The ban of CFU President Gordon Derrick, which prevents him from running for CONCACAF president, is possibly one of the most lawyered documents we have seen of late. But it is a tale of law and its manipulation that is not over as the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is to be asked to rule on the case.
By David Owen
May 4 – Just as Gareth Bale propelled Tottenham Hotspur to the top of the Premier League’s profit pile last time around, so Luís Suárez is responsible for Liverpool’s position of pre-eminence in the latest table.
By Mark Baber
May 5 – West Bromwich Albion have signed a two year sponsorship deal with Chinese online casino operator the K8 Group which will see the UK-K8.com emblazoned on the club’s new shirt from 2016/17.
May 5 – European and Portuguese police claim to have put a stop to a mainly Russian criminal gang laundering money through football in Portugal.
May 5 – One of Europe’s most iconic stadiums, the San Siro in Milan, will play host to the second all-Madrid Champions League final in as many years on May 28 after 10-time titlists Real joined Atletico in a repeat of their 2014 showdown.
May 5 – Scotland’s Celtic, who celebrated a fifth consecutive Scottish Premier League Championship last weekend, have followed this up with the announcement of what they say is the biggest shirt sponsorship deal in the history of Scottish football.
By Mark Baber
May 5 – The Premier League’s new ‘clean brand’ strategy took a big step forward as Carling was announced as Official Beer Partner of the Premier League in a new deal which will cover the three seasons from 2016/17 to 2018/19.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 4 – FIFA ethics prosecutors want a lifetime ban imposed on former FIFA vice president and ex-CONCACAF leader Jeffrey Webb, who has admitted taking bribes as part of the widespread corruption probe being conducted by United States authorities.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.