Mia Hamm joins call for natural surfaces for 2015 women’s World Cup
By David Owen
October 12 – Mia Hamm has added her voice to calls for FIFA to take steps to enable next year’s women’s World Cup in Canada to be played on a natural surface.
Rummenigge casts doubt over whether TPO can be outlawed
By Andrew Warshaw
October 13 – The head of the European Club Association, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (pictured), representing some 200 clubs across the continent has added his voice to the growing concern over Third Party Ownership but says phasing it out of the transfer market will take years and may ultimately prove nigh-on impossible.
AFC heads for May elections with determination to boost competition levels
By Andrew Warshaw
October 13 – Asian football has chosen the first week of May next year for its eagerly anticipated presidential election, ending months of uncertainty about a firm date.
David Owen: Notes from Sportel Monaco: on the hryvnia, Red Bull and tailwind businesses
I have just returned from Monaco and an absorbing few days at the Sportel convention cum media rights bazaar. Boiling it down, I can recollect three moments worth recording for future reference.
Digital drives shift in club revenues beyond the club stadium capacity
By Paul Nicholson
October 10 – Turning connections into cash is the holy grail for most companies in social media. But big numbers of likes and followers are often just that, big numbers. Digital is more than just social media and clubs are increasingly looking for a financial return from their digital investment.
Philadelphia venue for landmark women’s football seminars
October 10 – CONCACAF has announced it will host a two-day women’s football seminar October 25-26, in Philadelphia, coinciding with the semi-finals and final of the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship.
Blatter calls for rethink of away goals rule
October 10 – FIFA president Sepp Blatter has questioned the away goals rule, saying that it was conceived at a time when away games were often an adventure and playing conditions could vary significantly in favour of the home team.
Andrew Warshaw: The (broken?) promises of confidentiality
Publish Michael Garcia’s report or be damned. The clarion call to FIFA from a collective raft of influential football powerbrokers, anti-corruption watchdogs and vast swathes of the media intensifies on an almost daily basis.
Germany’s Freiburg set to invest €70 million into new stadium
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
October 10 – SC Freiburg has unveiled plans to invest €70 million in the construction of a new stadium, which will be co-financed by the city of Freiburg. The Bundesliga club is aiming to launch the project in 2015, it said in a statement.
Red Bulls tax row gets wings as it heads for Supreme Court
By Ben Nicholson
October 10 – The New York Red Bulls have been granted a hearing with the Supreme Court of New Jersey to settle its tax dispute with the Town of Harrison. The club is seeking reimbursement for tax paid on its Red Bull Arena, claiming exemption is statutorily permitted.
D’Hooghe heads call for new concussion rule to be made law
By Andrew Warshaw
October 10 – FIFA’s medical supremo Michel D’Hooghe wants time-outs for cases of concussion to become law so they are applied at domestic level throughout world football.
Infantino says expanded Euros and ‘Week of Football’ qualifiers was right decision
By Andrew Warshaw
October 10 – UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino insists that expanding the European Championship finals to 24 teams will not devalue the competition – and has also defended the pan-European concept for Euro 2020.
UEFA to change CL club seedings to put champions on top
October 10 – UEFA have agreed that their decision to change the seedings format for the Champions League to avoid domestic champions being ranked lower than other clubs from the same country will start next season.
IOC cold on idea of moving Winter Olympics date
October 10 – The International Olympic Committee has poured cold water on a proposal by one of Europe’s leading club representatives that the 2022 winter Games be moved from their traditional slot to accommodate switching the Qatar World Cup to that time of year from summer.
Coca-Cola’s Steele backs FIFA to act to get transparency right
By Andrew Warshaw
October 9 – One of FIFA’s leading World Cup sponsors responded emphatically today to accusations of staying silent over allegations of corruption that have swirled around world football’s governing body.