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.
By David Owen
August 28 – The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has pressed ahead and revoked the accreditation of the Rio de Janeiro doping control laboratory less than 10 months before the 2014 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to kick off in Brazil.
After a weekend in which none of the Premier League’s big three managed to win, it remains tough to predict who will emerge as the 2013-14 champions. But you don’t need too powerful a crystal ball even at this stage to foresee which club is likely to make the season’s biggest pre-tax profit.
Assuming the soap opera of Gareth Bale’s transfer to Real Madrid (or A.N.Other) reaches a consummation before the window closes,
By Mark Baber
August 27 = The world-renowned Federation of International Robot-Soccer Association (FIRA) Roboworld Cup kicked off on Monday in Malaysia, with a hundred teams from universities around the world competing in categories including the Micro-Robot Soccer Tournament (MiroSot), the Simulated Robot Soccer Tournament (SimuroSot) and the Humanoid Robot Soccer Tournament (HuroCup).
August 27 – Lazio, currently feeling the heat due to a racist element amongst their supporters and without a short sponsor, wore a strong anti-racism message for Sunday’s Serie A match against Udinese.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 27 – India could represent the next major market for the world’s leading clubs to promote themselves, according to Manchester United who have just signed a three-year partnership with high-performance manufacturers Apollo Tyres Ltd. Last week’s high-profile announcement between the two parties was one of the first initiatives between an Indian multinational and a global football brand and United’s group managing director Richard Arnold says it could act as a precedent for rivals to follow.
August 27 – Australia has become a full member the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), which represents south-east Asia, the latest move in the country’s efforts to secure complete integration into Asian football.