Gate money in decline at top-flight European clubs
By David Owen
February 5 – Top-flight European football clubs took less in gate money in 2011 than they did in 2008, according to UEFA.
Dodd to challenge Nsekera for Exco hot seat
By Mark Baber
February 4 – Australia’s Moya Dodd will challenge Lydia Nsekera (pictured) for the newly created position of women’s representative on FIFA’s Executive Committee.
Diego Maradona and the hand of the €40 million tax collector
By Mark Baber
February 4 – The saga of Diego Maradona’s tax woes in Italy has taken another turn with his solicitor, Angelo Pisani, claiming that the Argentine’s tax bill, had been cleared by the Central Tax Commission, a claim that has been dismissed by Italy’s tax collection agency, the Agenzia delle Entrate.
IFAB to discuss offside, goal-line technology, women and its own reason for being
February 4 – The International Football Association Board (IFAB) will discuss a clarification of the offside rule as well as consider a report on goal-line technology at its 127th Annual General Meeting on Saturday 2 March under the chairmanship of The Scottish FA in Edinburgh.
David Owen: Brazil are coming to Wembley. But will the World Cup really help Pelé’s country to make more out of football’s global money machine?
Here’s something to ponder in a week when Brazil are expected at Wembley for a friendly international: for more than half a century, the canary-shirted Brazil playmaker has been the embodiment of all that is best about the game that conquered the world; yet, as the sport has grown rich, the home of o jogo bonito has been reduced to a dusty outpost of the shiny multinational that is Planet Football.
UEFA puts match data contract out to bidders
February 4 – UEFA have moved to take greater commercial control of their match data with a request for proposals (RFP) for the collection of UEFA match data and the distribution rights for official match data.
Egypt’s Premier League kicks off behind closed doors
February 4 – A year and a day after Egypt’s Premier League was suspended following violence at the Port Said stadium where 74 fans died, the league restarted this weekend with two matches on Saturday and two on Sunday.
Reggae Boyz fuelled by Coke sponsorship
February 3 – Coca-Cola has come to the rescue of Jamaica’s Reggae Boys through its local distributor Wisynco, who have committed US$1.6-million to support the national team through its World Cup qualifying campaign and provide a much-needed cash injection into Jamaican football.
Spending up but volume down, as transfer window sees a huge shift to ‘Free’
By Mark Baber
February 3 – English transfer spending in terms of money spent may be higher this transfer window, but the volume of transfers is down 16% and loans down 17%.
[b]Exclusive:[/b] Trio of Premier League window shoppers help carry January spending to £120 million
By David Owen
English Premier League clubs spent about £120 million in the latest January transfer window, double their outlay in January 2012, but well short of the record £225 million splurged two years ago, when strikers Fernando Torres and Andy Carroll were the subject of deals thought to amount to a combined £85 million. The top clubs generally refrained from buying, with the result that – according to analysis by Deloitte,
FIFA gets tough on transfer rules and takes action to end Velazquez saga
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee has penalised CA Independiente of Argentina and Genoa CFC of Italy for misuse of the FIFA Transfer Matching System (TMS). The use of TMS is mandatory for all international transfers of professional male players.
Report warns of human rights issues for 2022 World Cup build
The Human Rights Watch report has flagged potential human rights issues for migrant workers ahead of the World Cup 2022 build in Qatar.
ESPN hook up with Univision for El Tri matches
ESPN has added to its football (soccer) rights in the US with a deal with Spanish-language broadcaster Univision to air home Mexican national team games in English, including World Cup qualifying matches.
Guinness Nigeria gets big and shirty with the Super Eagles
As Nigeria made their way through the group stages at the Africa Cup of Nations, the official Super Eagles sponsors Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, made it a double celebration when it recorded a world record with the unveiling the world’s largest football jersey.
David Beckham joins the PSG revolution
On a transfer deadline day and with his usual flair for a dramatic headline grabbing entrance, David Beckham was officially presented as a PSG player this afternoon after passing his medical.