PL ticket prices cause fresh cause for government concern
October 16 – The Premier League may be the most popular televised club football in the world but ticket prices at home throughout the English game continue to be cause for concern.
UEFA steps in to separate Serbia-Albania melee, charging both
By Andrew Warshaw
October 16 – Amid the furore of claim and counter-claim following one of the worst outbreaks of politically-motivated trouble in recent European football history, UEFA as expected have charged both the Serbian and Albanian federations – and will almost certainly come down hard on both of them.
Ebola crisis forces CAF to consider shifting AFCON 2015 in Morocco
By Andrew Warshaw
October 16 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has agreed to discuss a plea by organisers of next year’s African Nations Cup to postpone the 16-nation tournament because of the ebola crisis but stressed there are currently no plans to shift it.
Heineken quenches its US soccer thirst with MLS deal, and looks for more
By Ben Nicholson
October 16 – Heineken has become the official beer sponsor of the MLS. The five-year deal is values at approximately $50 million, which includes media and marketing commitments. More than $3 million will be paid annually for rights to the MLS.
Red Star Belgrade seeks increased Gazprom sponsorship to bring down debt
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
October 15 – In a move aimed to overhaul the finances of the troubled football club, Red Star Belgrade is in talks with Russia’s natural gas company Gazprom to sign a new sponsorship deal.
Continental Tires Asian Cup Trophy Tour wraps up in Shanghai
By Mark Baber
October 15 – Continental Tires, Official Sponsor of the AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015 wrapped up its Asian Cup Trophy Tour in Shanghai on Monday after bringing the trophy to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu in an event looking forward to next year’s tournament and celebrating the recent signing of a four year collaboration with the Chinese Football Association.
Serbia v Albania Euro qualifier abandoned after drone invasion
By Mark Baber
October 15 – The Serbia v Albania Euro 2016 qualifier, which was played without away fans due to the ongoing tensions between the two countries, was abandoned on Tuesday evening after a drone carrying a flag of “Greater Albania” was flown over the pitch.
Exclusive: Was Garcia being disingenuous? Proof he promised confidentiality
By Paul Nicholson
October 15 – Insideworldfootball has received copy of correspondence from FIFA’s chairman of its investigatory chamber Michael Garcia proving he promised confidentiality to an interviewee in the investigation into the bidding cities and their conduct in the race to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
FIFA experts embark on first official Russia 2018 stadium tour
October 15 – A joint delegation of 40 experts will tomorrow begin a seven-day inspection tour of the Russia 2018 World Cup stadiums. Made up of FIFA, Russia 2018 Local Organising Committee (LOC) and Arena-2018 representatives, the party will visit five stadiums and take a virtual tour of the remaining eight.
Politics in football: Peruvian ambassador apologises for racist twitter rant
By Ben Nicholson
October 15 – Harold Forsyth, who is Peru’s ambassador to the United States, has apologized for his racial comments toward Panamanian striker Luis Tejada (pictured) made over the weekend.
EU executive arm hands big boost to FFP – and Platini
By David Owen
October 15 – UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) initiative has received an important boost to its credibility, with the European Commission formally accepting that the programme contributes to the “healthy growth” of sport in the continent.
Mihir Bose: What shall we do with Qatar?
It is impossible to feel any sympathy for Qatar. An oil-rich Gulf state which somehow manages to get the World Cup and then lavishes money to try and convince the world it can not only stage the event but contribute to a better understanding of the world of sport hardly qualifies for sympathy. The immediate response would be there are far worthier subjects to feel sorry for. Yet as Qatar continues to get a bad press we must ask ourselves what is Qatar doing wrong and can they ever get out of this terrible spiral of distrust and dislike?
Freestyle footballers get animated for world championships
October 15 – The Freestyle Football Federation (F3) is launching a series of animated characters from Northern Creative Studio to promote the sport in digital media ahead of the World Freestyle Football Championships taking place in London on October 22.
Indian Super League opens in Bollywood-style
By Mark Baber
October 14 – The Indian Super League held an extravagant Bollywood/footballing extravaganza on Sunday to open the long-awaited start of the new competition which aims to awaken the “sleeping giant” of Indian football. Amidst all the hype, voices of caution advised of the difficulties involved in building fan bases from scratch, in a cricket obsessed country and warned of the historical precedent of similar ventures in the USA.
Lega Pro renews focus on integrity and anti-match-fixing measures
By Paul Nicholson
October 14 – Italy’s Lega Pro are the latest to renew their match-fixing monitoring and prevention partnership with Sportradar. The league has also taken their commitment to fight match-fixing a step further with a logo emphasising ‘Lega Pro-Integrity’ being carried on the league’s official match ball.