August 14 – Zlatan Ibrahimovic has donated £30,000 to the Swedish intellectually disabled team in order to get them to the 2015 Inas Football World Cup that has just kicked off. The tournament is for para-athletes with an intellectual disability and will be held in Sao Paolo, Brazil from August 13-23.
August 14 – Premier League Tottenham Hotspur, fresh from their pre-season tour of the US, have returned to North America to sign a youth ‘soccer’ partnership with Tallahasse United who will rename themselves Tallahassee Tottenham Hotspur.
August 13 – Premier League Champions Manchester City have announced two new partnerships days before they begin the defence of their league crown. Asian firm QNet will become the club’s Official Direct Selling Partner, while T.M. Lewin has become the club’s new Official Formal Wear Partner.
By David Owen
August 13 – The Japan Football Association (JFA) has signed a memorandum of understanding with its Iranian counterpart, the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRIFF), as part of what appears to be an ongoing diplomatic offensive in the Asian region.
By Mark Baber
August 13 – EA Sports has announced new additions to the Legends line-up in FIFA 15, due to be released on September 23 in the US, whilst the company has confirmed work on FIFA 16 and even FIFA 17 is already underway.
By Mark Baber
August 13 – The Crimean clubs of TSK Simferopol, SKChF Sevastopol and Zhemchuzhina Yalta played their first games in the Russian Cup last night, triggering calls from Ukraine’s football federation to FIFA and UEFA to sanction the Russian Football Union (RFU) for bringing Crimean clubs into its league structure.
August 13 – Today UEFA will hear Legia Warsaw’s appeal against the 3-0 sanction that turned their 6-1 Champions League qualifying round win over Celtic into a 4-4 draw, and the Scots going through on away goals. The sanction sparked mass comment with multiple emotions unleashed. Legia fans bombarded Celtic, UEFA and anyone who would listen with requests and then demands that Celtic should withdraw.
By Paul Nicholson
August 13 – The debut of a team from Belize in the CONCACAF Champions League will have to wait for at least another season after confederation inspectors ruled that their pitch was unplayable. Belize Premier League champions Belmopan Bandits will be replaced in the competition by Costa Rica’s Club Sport Herediano.
August 13 – Details of Russia’s stadium build for the 2018 World Cup are starting to be released. The Saransk Arena has now had official planning approval while August will see completion of the Spartak Moscow stadium.
When it comes to the August 26 elections for the presidency and executive committee of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) – if they actually happen on that day – it is evident, to keen watchers of its politics, that the more things change, the more they remain the same. For the fourth successive NFF poll, since 2005, Africa’s most populous nation is caught in the whirlwind of chaos and anarchy that typically accompanies the battle for control of the game’s administrative levers,
August 12 – Betting operator 666Bet have added to its Premier League portfolio becoming a platinum partner of newly promoted Leicester City. 666Bet is already the betting partner at West Bromwich Albion and most recently added Leyton Orient, becoming shirt sponsor at the League One club.
By Paul Nicholson
August 12 – Russia’s prime minister Dmitry Medvedev has called for a close monitoring of the costs of building the infrastructure for the 2018 World Cup, following the financial plan that already exists. He also insisted that the preparations should be made to the highest standards and that the experience of hosting a successful Olympics has shown the way in this regard.
August 12 – Premier League club Sunderland and D.C. United from the MLS have announced a business partnership. Both clubs have agreed to promote one another in their respective markets, whilst sharing coaching and business expertise.
By Mark Baber
August 12 – Carlo Tavecchio has been elected as the new president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) despite having caused controversy with racist remarks during his election campaign and having spent 18 months in prison for offences including forgery, tax evasion, falsification of records and abuse of office.
By Mark Baber
August 12 – Togo have asked the Confederation of African Football to move their qualifying game against Guinea, scheduled for September 5 or 6 to a location outside of Guinea, due to fears over the Ebola virus.