October 1 – Russian football showcased another weekend of crowd trouble after reports that Brazilian star Hulk was subjected to monkey chants in a Russian Premier League game, and fans at Rubin Kazan’s new stadium set fire to part of the stadium after a makeshift firework display.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 1 – In a strong message of support that will come as no surprise to seasoned observers of allegiances within FIFA’s hierarchy, the head of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is backing Sepp Blatter’s bid for a fifth term of office.
October 1 – Greek football, beset by financial troubles and hooliganism, has suffered another setback after this coming weekend’s entire programme was suspended by the government, along with all other team sports, as a mark of respect following the death of a fan at a third division game.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
October 1 – Zvezdan Terzic (pictured), the general secretary of Red Star Belgrade, has called for an amendment to the country’s sports bill that would facilitate the potential privatisation of Serbian football clubs.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 1 – UEFA have been quick to respond to reports in Germany warning against the use of vanishing spray by saying it will continue to use the recent innovation to mark out defensive walls in its competitions.
Going up the property ladder, selling your existing home for profit and then moving to a bigger better home, is something we take for granted. But for football clubs finding a new home, or even making the existing one bigger is very often a nightmare and can cause enormous problems. If clubs are not careful they can go into ruinous debt which can threaten their very existence.
October 1 – Despite Brazil witnessing how well goal-line technology worked at the World Cup the country is still reluctant to implement it domestically despite it being part of the tournament’s legacy.
By Mark Baber
October 1 – The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has a new president. Amaju Pinnick (pictured), chairman of the Delta State Sports Council and the the Delta State FA, was elected with a comprehensive victory after two rounds of voting, though the pathway to election yesterday was typical of the turmoil within Nigerian football.
By Ben Nicholson
October 1 – The MLS Players Union has released its annual review of salaries for each of the league’s players. The list reveals a league record in the form of Kaka’s impending $7.17 million to play for the new MLS team Orlando City SC, usurping David Beckham’s previous high salary mark by a rough half million.
September 30 – Russia’s Sport Minister Vitaly Mutko, has said that while the plans for infrastructure build in 11 cities the 2018 World Cup are unchanged, costs of construction are mounting.
By Alexander Krassimirov
September 30 – Bulgaria’s Levski Sofia can expect another serious sanction after further crowd disturbances by their supporters. The Ultras of the Bulgarian club again unveiled pro-racism banners during their derby against the champion Ludogorets at Georgi Asparuhov stadium last weekend.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 30 – Two months after becoming embroiled in a much-publicised ticketing controversy at the World Cup, FIFA’s long-established marketing affiliate Match has been given a vote of confidence to maintain its relationship with world football’s governing body.
September 30 – FIFA has agreed to a reduction in capacity for two of the stadiums scheduled to host the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 30 – Spare a thought for Shakhtar Donetsk who play their first ‘home’ Champions League game of the season tonight – 600 miles away.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 30 – Russian football authorities, still getting to grips with how to deal with racism, have taken the extraordinary step of banning Dynamo Moscow defender Christopher Samba for the way he retaliated to being verbally abused in a recent top-flight league game.