French headscarf ban defies FIFA laws and reopens political debate
By Andrew Warshaw
April 1 – French football authorities are upholding a ban on female players wearing headscarves for religious purposes in defiance of the game’s lawmakers.
Inter owner, Roeslani, faces battle to hold shares
By Matt Scott
April 1 – Internazionale risks becoming embroiled in a share wrangle over disputed allegations one of the club’s new owners misappropriated $170 million from a listed company.
Matt Scott: What is good for PSG is good for France, and the Qataris
“Plus tard, je serai président du PSG!” Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy became France’s most unpopular president in history at the end of his tenure but his nose for a political wind remains pretty keen. It was inevitable that, with French joblessness at record levels, the incumbent Socialists would lose out to his UMP party in municipal elections on Saturday. Cue a clamour for his return to the Elysée palace,
Exclusive: Warner to return to world football
April 1 – Port of Spain – In an unexpected turn of events, formerly disgraced Austin “Jack” Warner, the ex-president of CONCACAF, CFU, ex-VP of FIFA and several other football organisations around the world, has announced his comeback into international football.
Exclusive: Israelis reject FIFA expulsion talk, claiming progress is being made
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
March 31 – Israeli football authorities have broken their silence over the hugely sensitive dispute with Palestine, insisting efforts are being stepped up to improve conditions for Palestinian players and officials in and out of the West Bank and Gaza.
Greek minister drives AEK’s planned €65m new stadium
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
March 31 – AEK’s plan to build a new €65 million stadium has obtained the backing of Greece’s Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Change Yiannis Maniatis who signed a project proposal intended for the Greek parliament. The document needs a total of four ministerial signatures to be submitted, and the country’s interior minister, culture minister and finance minister have already promised to ink the proposal.
Eritrea pull out of Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers
March 31 – Eritrea have pulled out of the qualifiers for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco for no apparent reason. They had been due to face South Sudan in the first round of the preliminary phase over two legs in April.
Swedish fans invade pitch as pre-match violence leaves supporter dead
March 31 – Swedish football has been left in shock after a supporter of the Stockholm club Djurgarden died from head injuries sustained in an assault before his team’s season-opening fixture at Helsingborg.
Germans outflanked by Nations League, but Rummenigge sees a silver lining
By Andrew Warshaw
March 31 – Reaction continues to pour in to the establishment of the new Nations League tournament that looks set to become an integral part of European football from 2018.
Saints made to pay the price for their sinners
By Paul Nicholson
March 30 – English Premier League club Southampton, continually reported to be selling its top players and for sale itself, has reported a financial loss of £7.1 million for 2012/13. Before taking into account transfer spending the club made an operational profit of £8.7 million in the period which bridged the club’s first and second seasons back in the Premier League.
Conference disasters Hyde are a social media knockout
By Tom Parsons
March 28 – Hyde FC playing in the Skrill Conference Premier haven’t exactly had a season to remember on the pitch but their presence on Social Media has been entertaining to follow. One tongue-in-cheek tweet read: “Hearing reports that Floyd Mayweather has made a $38 million bet on Hyde tonight. Come on The Tigers! #WinItForFloyd”.
FIFPro backs Platini’s demand for global ban on ‘modern day slavery’ of TPO
By Paul Nicholson
March 28 – FIFPro, the World Footballers’ Association has strongly backed UEFA’s president Michel Platini callingfor a worldwide ban on Third Party Ownership (TPO) of players.
New study ranks City top of Premier League social media table
By Tom Parsons
March 28 – A study by Accepted Socially has seen Manchester City finish top of the Social Media standings, a feat fans will hope they can emulate on the pitch when the Premier League title is decided over the next six weeks.
Bialystok signs sponsorship deal with Jagiellonia to combat racism
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
March 28 – Municipal authorities of Bialystok have signed a deal with local football club Jagiellonia to promote the Polish city and support its efforts to combat racism and intolerance. Under the deal, Bialystok will provide PLN 3.5 million (€830,000) to Jagiellonia in an arrangement taking them through to December 15.
Nations League greeted with caution, but the money looks good
By Paul Nicholson
March 28 – The planned UEFA Nations League, scheduled to start in 2018, has been met with caution by the world footballers association FIFpro, and the Association of European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL). Both bodies have issued statements indicating they have reservations over the potential impact of the new format.