By Andrew Warshaw
July 16 – Just when Asian football is striving to improve its image and develop the game, Australian coach Holger Osieck (pictured) has attacked Asian clubs for failing to release a number of his players for the East Asian Cup, which starts on Saturday in Seoul.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 16 – Al Jazeera’s increasing influence as a major player in televised sport has been underlined by the announcement that the Qatar-based broadcaster has bought exclusive rights to screen England’s Premier League in the Middle East and North Africa for three years starting with the coming season.
July 16 – Chelsea FC partners Sauber Motorsport AG of Zurich, Switzerland, has landed a substantial commercial deal that will catapult the firm, and its partners, into a new era in Formula One.
July 15 – Nigerian women footballers at the FCT (Federal Capital Territory) Queens football club are being forced into begging and even prostitution to survive following the failure to pay their wages.
What do Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Sunderland and Fulham have in common? Okay, they are all members of English Premier League but that’s not the answer I’m looking for.
The answer I’m looking for is they are also now controlled by American owners or majority shareholders, Fulham being the latest to join that particular ‘club’ for a reported £200m.
Not so long ago, the notion that almost a third of top-flight English clubs would be in American hands 13 years into the new millennium would have been dismissed as fanciful given the fact that professional football,
By Andrew Warshaw
July 15 – Mohamed Al Fayed, one of the most colourful figures in English football, has ended his 16-year stint as boss of Fulham by selling the iconic west London club to Shahid Khan (pictured on left of Fayed), owner of NFL side Jacksonville Jaguars in the United States.
July 15 – France are celebrating their first ever under-20 World Cup title after beating Uruguay 4-1 on penalties following a goalless draw in the final in Istanbul. But Iraq’s fairytale tournament provided just as big a talking point.
By Mark Baber
July 15 – The Oman Football Association (OFA) has announced a strategic partnership with the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), building on the success of recent collaborations.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 15 – Having overcome a series of operational concerns during the recent Confederations Cup, Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Maracana stadium is now embroiled in another controversy – a ban on shirtless and standing fans.
July 15 – The European Professional Football Leagues association (EPFL), which represents 744 clubs in 29 countries, is reinforcing its relationship with the Council of Europe in the fight against fan violence.
The world has gone totally mad, hasn’t it? Ever since the “US citizen-without-a-passport”, Edward Snowden, went public and gradually released his material about global spying, institutionalized by US and UK spooks at the NSA and GCHQ, a storm of aggression has hit him and the US alike.
Meanwhile, in a parallel universe (and somewhat ridiculous to compare with issues of real concern), a handful of people continue digging and investigating for a very handsome fee –
足协剥离，生吞活剥
任何一条和中国足球体制改革的新闻，哪怕新闻源头很有些问题，都会让不少人兴奋，都会激起各种YY式的遐想和评论，因为在这个话题方向上，我们关注的不仅仅是中国足球，其实更是一种社会新闻的关注。
所以当”中国足协将和体育总局剥离、高层指示剔除行政指令”这样的标题出现时，我也被裹挟进入大众YY的洪流中，虽然我觉得这标题已经很可笑——高层指示剔除行政指令？这样的”指示”，本身是否也属于”行政指令”？新闻的诞生，来自于《足球报》，但是对于新闻源缺乏描述——这我们也早已习惯了，对于中国社会任何涉及到体制改革的话题，新闻源头都只能靠猜以及意会。只是新闻本身除了标题吓人以外，实质性内容毫无新鲜感。
改革就是管办分离，给中国足协真正的协会身份，不再以政府行政部门方式管理中国足球，彻底放权中国足协管理中国足球，不再让体育总局过多干预。报道言之凿凿，连未来机构设置调整，都有一些细节安排，并且援引一名足协人士感慨说：”这是中国足球最大的利好消息，1比5的学费总算没有白交。”
说来道去，无非是高层又不满了，领导又震怒了，看上去和许家印”1比5让我忍无可忍是耻辱”一个意思。于是要改革，而且是领导决定要改革。但是对于”领导”这个概念的理解，产生了多重复杂性：这当中既包括体育总局的领导，又包括体育总局领导的领导，可能还有更上面的领导的领导。
我不相信这样的改革能取得成功，甚至连向前挪动一步的可能性都不太具备，这明显是在为足协诿过，回避了中国足协本身能力低下，浮沉于体制之内，早已失去对一个市场化程度最高的职业运动项目的管理能力。领导怒了，要改革，但倘若改革如此进行的话，其实是保护了足协——不让国家体育总局更多行政干预足球事务管理，这样的思路未必错误，只是”放权让中国足协管理中国足球”的决定，会不会让人啼笑皆非？
这个机构的颟邗无能，已经得到了十多年来连绵不断失败的证明，不仅在国家队成绩上，而是在职业联赛管理、青少年足球普及、业余足球推广、市场拓展和内部廉洁等全方面的失败。一个机构如果溃烂至此，肯定不仅仅是因为几个为头的腐败堕落，而是从上至下遍布的问题。足协老大的位置，王俊生阎世铎算是安全着陆，谢亚龙南勇锒铛入狱，韦迪走得虽然凄惶，至少没有牢狱之灾，如今的张剑噤若寒蝉、无话可说。他们懂或者不懂行，所有决定的执行，都是通过足协中下层去执行的，以为拿掉一个老大，就能正本清源？
就像一惨败，就震怒，就”必须改革”一样，这更是政治反应，而不是真正为了提高中国足球。将”改革”的大旗打起来，又何尝不是新的一次危机公关、视线转移，让大家不再去顶着615惨败背后的原因，让大家暂且忘掉连年失败的凋敝，重新描画一张新的大饼。
615惨败的三大疑问依旧在那里飘荡着：有没有国脚消极比赛做掉卡马乔的可能？有没有俱乐部控制球员消极比赛的可能？有没有赌博集团操控比赛的可能？足协高层屡屡做出错误决定，那么中下层执行过程中，又是怎样去操作的，他们具备管理足球的能力吗？
前事尽忘，后事何师？解决不了眼皮底下的谜团，任何改革，都只是生吞活剥的画饼充
Reform the CFA or Dismiss the CFA
Not a single day passes without some new drama in Chinese football, the only thing that remains the same low competitive level and the mystifying football management talks.
Former Team China manager Camacho’s legal team is still in deadlock with CFA for his contract compensation payment,
Remember when Diego Maradona signed for Tottenham in the late 1980s?
No neither do I, but I do remember the tabloid newspaper back page claiming the deal was done.
And I remember the same reporter coming up with transfer stories a few desks away that led me to the simple conclusion; he was dealing in fiction.
Transfer trash talk has got a much bigger audience now. The combined weight of football and social media has turned millions –
By Tom Parsons
July 12 – Manchester City have announced plans to expand the capacity of their Etihad Stadium up to 60,000 from its current 47,805 capacity. If the plans are approved, the home of the Citizens will be the third largest in the Premier League – behind Arsenal and biggest rivals Manchester United.
July 12 – Litex Lovech owner Grisha Ganchev has opened the way for the possible return of former European European of the Year Hristo Stoichkov to the four-times Bulgarian champions.