By Mark Baber
August 29 – Gibraltar-based online casino operator 32Red is to become the official casino partner of Italy’s Bologna FC in a new two year deal. 32Red’s logo will be displayed on the pitch-side LED advertising boards at every home game, on interview backdrops and on the official club website.
By Mark Baber
August 29 – Epson has agreed a three-year sponsorship worth S$1 million with the Football Association of Singapore (FAS). The partnership was launched at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Wednesday and sees the printer and projector manufacturer supporting the match-day experience of fans, the development of strategy for coaches and youth development.
FIFA. They really are the masters at changing their stance on an issue, taking ownership of it, and complimenting themselves on their new stance.
Please don’t misunderstand me. It’s a compliment. There are some clever operators in and around the Zurich HQ.
Blatter’s nifty footwork to become a racism trailblazer after his horrible gaffe to me in 2011 is one example.
By Panos Bletsos
August 29 – The Greek football authorities have again reformatted the leagues in a desperate bid to create more revenue. This time the format of the Football League, the country’s second tier, has been changed with immediate effect as the league seeks to generate more TV money.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 29 – Turkey’s Fenerbahce have had their appeal against Champions League expulsion rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport which upheld UEFA’s two-year ban from European competition over a much-publicised match-fixing scandal.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 29 – Will he or won’t he stand for FIFA President? It’s a question that has persued UEFA boss Michel Platini wherever he has turned up in recent months – and now he has told the football world exactly when he will give a clear indication one way or the other. Platini says he is still weighing up whether he wants to succeed Sepp Blatter in 2015 but will most likely end all the waiting during UEFA’s next executive committee meeting in Dubrovnik on September 19 and 20.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 29 – Kazakhstan champions Shakhtar Karagandy, dramatically knocked out by Celtic 3-2 on aggregate in the Champions League playoff round on Wednesday, have been warned by UEFA that they could face disciplinary action if they continue the practise of ritually slaughtering sheep before European games.
By Alexander Krassimirov
August 29 – Bulgaria’s former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov (pictured) has set a record as the oldest professional football player in the history of Bulgaria. The leader of the GERB political party was registered as a professional footballer in the Bulgarian Football Union on August 19 and a week later officially made his debut in Vitosha Bistritsa’s goalless draw against Rakovski in the country’s second-tier league (B grupa).
By Mark Baber
August 28 – FIFA has confirmed it has received an official complaint from the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) after Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi called Malawi’s Belgian national team coach Tom Saintfiet “a white dude who should go back to Belgium,” in a radio interview.
By Mark Baber
August 28 – The All India Football Federation (AIFF) Club Licensing Committee First Instance Body (FIB) meeting in Dwarka decided yeserday to give a one-time exemption for the National Club License to all 12 clubs for the upcoming 2013-14 football season, enabling the league to go-ahead as planned.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 28 – Football clubs are often accused of self-interest and lack of sportsmanship so hats off to Yeovil Town boss Gary Johnson for at least trying to partially make amends after admitting poor judgement by him and his team.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 28 – Manchester City have dispelled rumours that they are poised to expand into Australia by purchasing A-League team Western Sydney Wanderers.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 28 – The thorny issue of Kosovan eligibility is back in the spotlight after a Swiss-based player was refused a visa by Russia to play for St Gallen in a Europa League game on Thursday. St Gallen midfielder Kristian Nushi, who moved to Switzerland 11 years ago but still holds a Kosovan passport, will therefore miss the playoff second leg at Spartak Moscow.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 28 – Inter Milan have renewed their sponsorship agreement with Nike by signing a 10-year deal worth a reported €200 million in what has become one of football’s longest established partnerships.
August 29 – The Pacific Islands opened their first outdoor, surfaced Futsal court in Samoa last weekend in Samoa, funded through FIFA’s development office as a GOAL IV project.