Inside World Football - Page 1604 of 2034 - For the Business of Football

Matt Scott: Time to overhaul football’s betting relationship

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“First half. Last 10 minutes. Hundred per cent.” Former footballer Sam Sodje appears to promise a yellow card to order.

Betting has a tradition of accompanying football in England in the same way custard goes with English puddings. It just adds a bit of flavour to the proceedings. It is a guilty pleasure, nothing more. No harm done. Gambling is so much a part of the football culture in England that when last week the national-team manager,

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Sky Deutschland keeps Champions League and football lead

sky cameraman

December 12 – Rupert Murdoch’s German satellite broadcaster Sky Deutschland has retained its right to screen Champions League games until 2018.

Andrew Warshaw: The greatest betrayal of all

Next time you go and watch your local team and you see a totally unnecessary foul or an unexplained provocation leading to a red or yellow card, it might not be because of a rush of blood to the head by the player involved.

Likewise next time you see a crazy penalty or some other ridiculous refereeing decision, it might not be because of genuine if irritating human error.

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Exclusive: Belounis in England to talk to clubs on next move

Zahar Belounis 4

By Andrew Warshaw
December 11 – Zahir Belounis, the footballer whose story of being “trapped” in Qatar against his will made him an international cause celebre, was in London today for preliminary talks with unidentified clubs over possibly extending his career in the English league.

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Handshake for Peace protocol debuts in Morocco at Club World Cup

Handshake for Peace

December 11- The opening game of the FIFA World Club Cup today in Morocco will see the first time the official Handshake for Peace has been integrated formally into the match protocol. The Handshake for Peace campaign is a joint initiative between FIFA and the Nobel Peace Center in Norway and will feature at all the matches in the Club World Cup.

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Poland’s Ekstraklasa eyes launch of own TV channel

Maciej Wandzel

By Jaroslaw Adamowski
December 11 – Poland’s Ekstraklasa is planning to launch its own television channel. Under the plan, the channel will hold Polish league football broadcast rights and resell them to digital platforms and cable operators.

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Barca review Nou Camp stadium options for January decision

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December 11 – Barcelona will make a decision in January whether to move from the iconic Nou Camp stadium, their home for more than half a century.

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After the storm comes football; FIFA Club World Cup kicks off in Morocco

FIFA club world cup

By Andrew Warshaw
December 11 – Almost unnoticed in the aftermath of the World Cup draw in Brazil, FIFA’s Club World Cup competition was getting under way in Morocco today – finally presenting the north African country with their own international tournament.

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Al-Thawadi questions the Qatari doubters and prepares welcome for Garcia

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By Andrew Warshaw
December 11 – Three years after winning the bid to stage the 2022 World Cup by a landslide vote, Qatar’s organising chief is back on the offensive, rebuffing any suggestion that the Gulf state was guilty of any impropriety. Hassan Al-Thawadi, Secretary General, Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee, insists Qatar complied with FIFA regulations and that allegations to the contrary have “absolutely no basis”.

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Tsingtao signs on for 3-year deal with AFC club competitions

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By Paul Nicholson
December 11 – Chinese brewer Tsingtao has become the first Chinese brand to sign a deal with the Asian Football Confederation. In a three-year tie-up, starting 2014, the Tsingtao brewery will sponsor the AFC’s club competitions.

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United in league of their own around Old Trafford pitch, if not yet on it

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By David Owen
December 11 – Not that there is any connection, but Manchester United’s latest Premier League woes have coincided with the installation of new display boards – “the largest, brightest and clearest pitch-side electronic boards in football,” the club says – at its Old Trafford base.

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Celtic swift to ban fans and ‘protect’ reputation after Motherwell ‘troubles’

Celtic vs Motherwell

By Andrew Warshaw
December 10 – Scottish champions Celtic have taken what appear to be steps to disband their notorious Green Brigade fans group after a reported £10,000 worth of damage was caused to the away end of the ground at Motherwell’s stadium during last Friday’s league game between the clubs.

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Public policy makers urged to make sport a priority at Doha conference

Doah Goals forum

December 10 – Ministers of sport and representatives of sports bodies from over 20 countries have urged policy makers to change their outlook and give sport greater priority as a tool for change.

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Ronaldo vs Messi vs Ribery: In that order for Ballon d’Or?

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December 10 – The usual suspects have again lined up to win the prestigious Ballon d’Or award as the world’s best player – but there is no place in the final shortlist for the world’s most expensive player, Gareth Bale.

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Brazilians register in record numbers to get a piece of World Cup action

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December 10 – Last weekend’s fan violence in Brazil, at the final round of the season’s Serie A fixtures, has not put off a scramble for World Cup match tickets, with 86% of requests for match tickets coming from Brazilian fans.