By Paul Nicholson
August 2 – FIFA has provisionally suspended investigations into former FIFA executive committee member Chuck Blazer until the end of 2013 at the latest. The decision, taken by chief of investigation Robert Torres, was made after Torres received written confirmation that Blazer will not be engaging in any football-related activities until at least 31 December 2013.
August 2 – The Italian football federation has banned Lazio captain Stefano Mauri (pictured) for six months for his part in the 2011 Italian match-fixing scandal.
August 2 – Wells Fargo has become the exclusive retail banking and commercial lending sponsor of MLS following a deal struck with MLS commercial rights agency Soccer United Marketing (SUM).
By Mark Baber
August 2 – Nike has extended its apparel sponsorship deal with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) till 2017 whilst the AIFF continues its moves towards the creation of an IMG-Reliance League to run separately to the I-League.
August 2 – The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) has been accepted as a member of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) Consultative Committee.
By Mark Baber
August 2 – Italy’s first black government minister Cécile Kyenge has likened the racism she has received – she recently had bananas thrown at her – to the racism that Mario Balotelli has received, saying that “a multi-ethnic nation is both inevitable and natural.”
By Andrew Warshaw
August 2 – Russia’s deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozon (pictured) has issued a veiled attack on the decision by the country’s national airline Aeroflot to sponsor Manchester United rather than pour funds instead into domestic sport.
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
August 2 – The FIFA-appointed expert who first cautioned about the dangers of taking the 2022 World Cup to Qatar says he made it abundantly clear that playing in the tiny Gulf state would be too hazardous – but was ignored by the majority of voting members.
If you’re a coach that recently delivered your country’s first Africa Cup of Nations trophy in nearly 20 years and also happen to be the only living player in the continent with the distinction of captaining your country to the same title, you would think that the least that could be expected is the prompt payment of your wages.
But that is not the case for Stephen Keshi.
The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has failed to pay his salary for nearly half a year –
At home to Barnsley on April 9 Cardiff City picked up the point that would ultimately guarantee their promotion to the Premier League. But Mehmet Dalman could have been forgiven for sitting out the celebrations with his fellow board members in the Cardiff directors’ box.
Because 125 miles away in London David Green QC, the director of the Serious Fraud Office [SFO], was considering whether allegations over bribery and corruption at Eurasian Natural Resources Corp [ENRC] justified a formal criminal investigation.
What motivates footballers? Playing or their bank balance?
It’s easy for critics to say footballers are mercenary.
But it’s also easy to trot out the old adage: ‘players just want to play’.
I think we’d agree that for most young players, the chance to earn fortunes while doing what they love is a winning combination. But if one of these pivotal factors is removed, where does that leave a footballer?
By Andrew Warshaw
August 1 – Three months after being well beaten in his campaign to become the new leader of Asian football, FIFA vice-president Worawi Makudi insists he was promised support which never materialised.
By Mark Baber
August 1 – Manchester United and PepsiCo yesterday announced a multi-year regional sponsorship agreement in Asia-Pacific which will see PepsiCo will become the Official Soft Drinks Partner of Manchester United in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 1 – Former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner, who quit football over the infamous 2011 cash-for-votes scandal during Sepp Blatter’s re-election campaign, has staged a political comeback after winning back his parliamentary seat in his native Trinidad and Tobago.
By Mark Baber
August 1 – Hashem Haidar was elected to his fourth term as head of the Lebanese Football Federation on Wednesday, winning votes from 49 of the 50 clubs attending. Haiddar’s electoral list, which included 10 other members was elected unopposed so Raymond Semaan will retain his position as first deputy president and Ahmad Qameradine as second deputy.