Inside World Football - Page 1734 of 2152 - For the Business of Football

Osasu Obayiuwana: Winning is certainly not everything

Over the years, I’ve been forced to develop a rather sceptical, hard-nosed attitude towards the achievements of particular African teams in FIFA’s Under-17 and Under-20 competitions, because some Cup ‘victories’ were certainly achieved by using over-aged players.

In an ‘off-the-record’ conversation I had with an ex-Nigerian player, who captained the ‘Golden Eaglets’ to one of their four Under-17 World Cup wins, he freely admitted to me – long after retiring from the game,

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World Cup blood and urine samples to be sent to Switzerland for testing

drug testing

By David Owen
November 13 – Blood and urine samples from players competing at next year’s FIFA World Cup are to be analysed in Switzerland, in a move likely to cause new embarrassment to Brazilian authorities.

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Hoeness stands his ground over tax evasion allegations

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By Andrew Warshaw
November 12- German legend and Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness will not resign despite his upcoming trial for alleged tax evasion.

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Massive interest continues for Brazil World Cup

The second phase of ticket sales for next year’s World Cup sold out just seven hours after being made available on FIFA’s website on a first-come, first-served basis.

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Jordan dreams of slaying Goliath to keep World Cup dream alive.

Flag-Pins-Jordan-Uruguay

By Andrew Warshaw
November 12- On paper it’s an impossible task for the underdogs, the ultimate David versus Goliath showdown. Seemingly a foregone conclusion before a ball has even been kicked.

On one side, Uruguay, twice world champions and featuring the likes of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, two of the most fearsome players in world football.

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Barca lose Messi until early next year

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November 12- Lionel Messi has been ruled out for the rest of the year with a torn hamstring muscle, with Barcelona’s world player of the year missing at least seven games for club and country.

Matt Scott

Matt Scott: Satellite titan should end hostilities before the Sky falls in

BT-Sky 3d share price 7-11 2013

“Mr Watson, come here, I want to see you,” Alexander Graham Bell, March 10, 1876

The first words ever spoken down a telephone line might be laced with a menacing undertone were Sky’s chief executive, Jeremy Darroch, to pick up a handset today and repeat them, this time to his counterpart at BT Vision, Marc Watson.

BT Vision is a subsidiary of the British former monopoly telecoms provider,

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Bien-Aime becomes first woman on CONCACAF Executive Committee

Sonia Bien-Aime2

By Paul Nicholson
November 12 – Sonia Bien-Aime has been appointed to the executive committee of CONCACAF. Bien-Aime is also one of three women on FIFA’s Executive Committee, having been co-opted to the top table of world football at the FIFA Congress in Mauritius earlier this year.

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Mexico head for Costa Rica finals after taking CONCACAF U17 Womens title

Mexico-WU17-Champions

November 11 – The CONCACAF Women’s Under-17 Championship ended with a penalty shoot-out win for Mexico over Canada in Montego Bay, Jamaica, this weekend. Mexico and Canada will join host Costa Rica as CONCACAF representatives in the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, which starts in March.

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Premier League players get charitable via Twitter

british Legion

By Jamie Styles
November 12 – Not all footballers on Twitter cause a storm of controversy. Sunderland striker Connor Wickham used his Twitter following over the weekend to help raise money for charity.

John Yan

John Yan: The Age of Tuhao 恒大是现象，还难称模式

All eyes were focused on the match, tagged as ‘The Fly to the Top of Asia’. Quite like the Party’s propoganda protocol, a bit like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest…

On November 9 in Guangzhou, Evergrande were crowned the champions of Asia, grandly. Even though the official TV ratings figures didn’t prove this match attracted a dominant viewership nationally, go through any media outlet, the impression was on that night, nothing could compare to the club’s climb to the top of Asia.

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Italian derby abandoned after fan threats turn fixture into farce

Fans suround bus

By Andrew Warshaw
November 11 – Even by Italian standards, it was surely one of the most bizarre episodes ever to occur in a professional football match. A third division derby was called off on Sunday after visiting side Nocerina, having allegedly received death threats from their own fans, deliberately reduced themselves to six players forcing the game to be abandoned.

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BT Sport swoops for the UEFA club competitions in £897m deal

BT Sport

By Andrew Warshaw
November 11 – In UK football’s most far-reaching broadcasting game-changer of recent years, BT Sport has won the UK rights to screen the Champions League and Europa League from 2015 in a staggering £897 million three-year deal with UEFA’s marketing agency TEAM.

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Poland’s Ekstraklasa seeks to modify mass events safety bill and increase attendances

Polish league

By Jaroslaw Adamowski
November 11 – Poland’s Ekstraklasa is aiming to introduce a number of modifications into the country’s mass events safety bill. The operator of the top tier of Poland’s professional football league outlined the proposed changes in a document entitled Safe Ekstraklasa: shutting down the stadiums, shutting down the opportunities.

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Nigeria win fourth U17 FIFA World Cup title in Abu Dhabi

Nigeria win

November 11 – So often fraught with controversy, Nigerian football is back in the spotlight for the right reasons after winning the world under-17 championship for a record fourth time, overpowering holders Mexico 3-0 in Abu Dhabi.