Man City revamp and relaunch global loyalty scheme for its Cityzens
July 22 – English Premier League champions Manchester City have launched a new membership and loyalty scheme, Cityzens, costing £35 per year for adults and £25 for under 16s.
Danes demand venue switch for FC Copenhagen’s Euro game at Ukraine’s Dnipro
July 22 – The Danish Football Association (DBU) has backed FC Copenhagen’s bid to move their Champions League qualifier at Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk later this month to a neutral venue following the Malaysia Airlines crash over territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists.
South Africa hunts new coach as club vs country row surfaces at Celtic
July 22 – South African football, going through a rebuilding phase under Danny Jordaan (pictured), is set to appoint a new head coach for its national team, but at club level it still has difficulty convincing everyone that country comes first.
Garcia World Cup bidding report delayed until September
By Andrew Warshaw
July 22 – The eagerly awaited report into possible wrongdoing during the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bid process has been delayed for several weeks. FIFA’s chief independent prosecutor Michael Garcia was expected to deliver the findings of his investigation this month but has delayed handing it over to ethics committee adjucatory chamber chief Hans-Joachim Eckert until the first week of September.
Sheikh Ahmad forecasts new era of harmony, at last, for AFC
By David Owen
July 21 – The President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is hoping that next year’s Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Presidential election will usher in a period of much-needed harmony in the region’s football affairs. Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, the former OPEC chairman who has become one of world sport’s foremost power brokers, said he thought the 2015 election “will found the unity of Asia”.
Huawei unveils first Arsenal 4G smartphone
July 21 – Chinese telecommunications specialist Huawei has unveiled its first Arsenal smartphone as part of a multi-million pound sponsorship deal that was signed in January and will see the brand as the Official Smartphone Partner of the north London club until the end of season 2015/16.
Volgograd, Kaliningrad and Yekaterinburg face 2018 World Cup axe
July 21 – Three Russian cities have been identified as being those which face being cut from the country’s 2018 World Cup programme.
Interpol World Cup raids arrest 1,400 and seize $12m across Asia
By Paul Nicholson
July 21 – Interpol are claiming a major success in the battle against illegal betting rings in Asia with a six-week World Cup operation carrying out more than 1,000 raids, 1,400 arrests and the seizure of $12 million.
Qataris pass first laws to take heat out of migrant worker work conditions
By Andrew Warshaw
July 21 – Qatar’s authorities have approved key measures to improve the treatment of foreign workers amid pressure to comply with international standards in the buildup to the 2022 World Cup.
Foreign players stay away, but Ukraine to go ahead with season kick off
By Paul Nicholson
July 21 – The Ukrainian national championship is still scheduled to start this week (July 25), despite fears over national security following the downing of Malaysian Airlines MH17 and the loss of 295 lives. Several international players have refused to return to the Ukraine with their clubs.
Dunga waits in wings to take over Brazilian national team
By Andrew Warshaw
July 21 – Former World Cup-winning captain Dunga looks set to succeed Luiz Felipe Scolari as Brazil’s national coach following the World Cup host nation’s 7-1 semi-final humiliation against eventual winners Germany.
Inside Insight: ‘For the powerful, crimes are those that others commit’
The Noam Chomsky quote appears to apply to all sorts of societies, businesses and people. One is tempted to add a variation of the theme and say: “For the hypocrites, crimes are those that others commit”. Far too many Brits have been claiming rather jingoistically, and for many years, that Britain could never compete with the massive corruption scandals that “those awful aliens” seem to specialise in.
San Jose to open new 70,000-seat Levi’s Stadium with BMW driving the show
July 21 – BMW Northern California has become the official automobile partner of San Jose Earthquakes, in time for the opening game of at the new Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. BMW will be the presenting sponsor for the match against Seattle Sounders on August 2.
UEFA opts to keep Russian and Ukrainian teams apart
By Mark Baber
July 19 – UEFA has taken the decision to keep teams from Russia and Ukraine apart in European competition but are allowing the Ukrainian teams to play home games despite fears over the security situation in the country.
Aussie court fines third Brit for match-fixing down under
July 18 – An Australian court has sanctioned a third British footballer for his part in a match-fixing racket that rigged games in the semi-professional league in the state of Victoria.