Pardew gets 3-game stadium ban and 4-game touchline ban for headbutt
March 12 – Newcastle United’s Alan Pardew has been handed a seven-game ban, a Premier League record for a manager, for the headbutt inflicted on Hull City midfielder David Meyler that was flashed around the world on television.
FIFA releases 345,000 more tickets for on-line sale
March 12 – FIFA has opened on-line sales for another 345,000 World Cup tickets. Tickets will be sold on a first come, first saved basis.
Swedish fascist knife attack on Malmö fan prompts outpouring of solidarity
By Mark Baber
March 12 – Swedish police have confirmed that three men, charged with attempted murder after an apparently pre-meditated attack on a group returning from a Reclaim the Night International Women’s Day event in the early hours of Sunday morning, are known Nazis belonging to the Senskarnas Parti (Swedes Party).
Ghana police investigate death of assistant referee attacked by fans
March 12 – Police in Ghana have launched an investigation into the death of an assistant referee who was apparently attacked by spectators after a second division game.
Botev Plovdiv to become first Bulgarian club to own its stadium
By Alexander Krassimirov
March 12 – Botev Plovdiv owner Tsvetan Vassilev (pictured) has said he wants to buy the land on which the club’s Hristo Botev Stadium stands, according to the mayor of Plovdiv Ivan Totev. If the deal goes through, Botev will become the first Bulgarian club to own its stadium.
Blatter drops speeches for 2014 opening ceremony
By Andrew Warshaw
March 12 – In a break from tradition, FIFA president Sepp Blatter has reportedly decided to refrain from making a formal speech at the World Cup’s opening ceremony for fears of jeering by protesting fans.
Player bonuses threatened as Nigerian FA appeals asks for more World Cup cash
By Paul Nicholson
March 12 – Nigeria’s seemingly endless struggle and debate over how much and when to pay win bonuses to its national team players and officials has begun for the World Cup already. But while there is a will to pay, there may not be a way with the current budget for the 2014 tournament to be granted by the government expected to come in at only half the requested amount by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Inside Insight: And then there was a Brazil World Cup, after all
‘Tourist shot dead on golf course’. ‘Stadia will never be finished on time’. ‘Political mayhem leading up to World Cup’. ‘World Cup will be a failure, local population protests’. ‘Street violence and lacking infrastructure’.
No.
These are not headlines pre-Brazil.
These, and worse, were the headlines prior to the first ever World Cup in an African country, in South Africa, four years ago.
Arena da Amazonia opens with some glitches, but it will be alright on the night
By Andrew Warshaw
March 11 – What was expected to be a celebratory landmark occasion in terms of stadium readiness for the World Cup didn’t go completely to plan as another 2014 venue held its first test event.
Zawisza Bydgoszcz’s conflict with Ultras triggers cyber attacks
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
March 11 – The conflict between the management of Zawisza Bydgoszcz and the club’s Ultras has escalated into cyberwarfare.
UEFA think-tank demands end to TPO and regulation of agents
By Paul Nicholson
March 11 – The UEFA Professional Football Strategy Council (PFSC), meeting at UEFA HQ in Nyon yesterday, have slammed the percentage of agent commissions being paid and demanded regulation in the agency marketplace. The PFSC also threatened that if FIFA does not ban third party ownership of players then UEFA will take matters into its own hands.
Russian State Duma deputies call for ending of US FIFA membership
By Richard van Poortvliet
March 11 – In what is now becoming a football version of an old-style East-West Cold War, deputies from the Russian State Duma, from the United Russia and Fair Russia parties, have asked for FIFA to revoke the membership of the USA.
Rousseff slams Brazilian racists and promises a World Cup against racism
By Andrew Warshaw
March 11 – As if Brazil’s World Cup organisers didn’t have enough problems on their plate delivering the infrastructure in time for the June kick-off, the country’s president Dilma Rousseff has now come out and expressed her concern about racism in football after a spate of incidents involving players and officials. In comments posted on Twitter, Rousseff lent her support to former Brazil international midfielder Marcos Arouca da Silva, who was subject to monkey chants while playing for Santos against Mogi Mirim last week.
Hoeness admits guilt and expresses remorse, but prosecutor wants jail term
March 11 – Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness said he “deeply regretted” his conduct on the opening day of his high-profile trial for tax evasion.