Futsal comes to the Pacific Islands as Samoa opens centres
August 29 – The Pacific Islands opened their first outdoor, surfaced Futsal court in Samoa last weekend in Samoa, funded through FIFA’s development office as a GOAL IV project.
WADA revokes accreditation of Rio doping control lab
By David Owen
August 28 – The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has pressed ahead and revoked the accreditation of the Rio de Janeiro doping control laboratory less than 10 months before the 2014 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to kick off in Brazil.
David Owen: Whatever happens on the pitch, Spurs could soon overtake Arsenal at the head of the Premier League profits table
After a weekend in which none of the Premier League’s big three managed to win, it remains tough to predict who will emerge as the 2013-14 champions. But you don’t need too powerful a crystal ball even at this stage to foresee which club is likely to make the season’s biggest pre-tax profit.
Assuming the soap opera of Gareth Bale’s transfer to Real Madrid (or A.N.Other) reaches a consummation before the window closes,
FIRA Robot World Cup kicks off with humanoids facing extermination
By Mark Baber
August 27 = The world-renowned Federation of International Robot-Soccer Association (FIRA) Roboworld Cup kicked off on Monday in Malaysia, with a hundred teams from universities around the world competing in categories including the Micro-Robot Soccer Tournament (MiroSot), the Simulated Robot Soccer Tournament (SimuroSot) and the Humanoid Robot Soccer Tournament (HuroCup).
Lazio send short message to fans: ‘we love football, we fight racism’
August 27 – Lazio, currently feeling the heat due to a racist element amongst their supporters and without a short sponsor, wore a strong anti-racism message for Sunday’s Serie A match against Udinese.
Man Utd look to open up Indian sub-continent, others will follow
By Andrew Warshaw
August 27 – India could represent the next major market for the world’s leading clubs to promote themselves, according to Manchester United who have just signed a three-year partnership with high-performance manufacturers Apollo Tyres Ltd. Last week’s high-profile announcement between the two parties was one of the first initiatives between an Indian multinational and a global football brand and United’s group managing director Richard Arnold says it could act as a precedent for rivals to follow.
Aussies gain equality in Asia with full membership of AFF
August 27 – Australia has become a full member the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), which represents south-east Asia, the latest move in the country’s efforts to secure complete integration into Asian football.
U-17 World Cup draw pitches hosts UAE against Brazil, this October
By Andrew Warshaw
August 27 – Hosts United Arab Emirates have been placed in the same group as Brazil as excitement mounts for the under-17 World Cup in October, an important showcase for the region with so much attention focussed on the 2022 World Cup in nearby Qatar.
Blatter expecting Russian clarification on gay propaganda law imminently
By Mark Baber
August 27 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter is expecting a reply in the next few days from Russian authorities about the recently passed law banning “propaganda” to minors on “non-traditional relations.”
Madrid crank up Bale cash machine with TV switch and shirts on sale already
By ‘Alex O’Loughlin
August 27 – Gareth Bale looks set to join Real Madrid before the close of the transfer market for a world record fee in excess of €90 million, and Madrid have already started work on recouping that ooutlay.
Matt Scott: Big transfer fees even bigger rights and morality issues
The transfer of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid is set to generate £83 million and more in fees. This is by any measure a staggering sum of money. Whether the world-record sum represents value for money and whether his club can justify it under UEFA’s financial fair play rules are subjective matters for Real and UEFA to consider.
But it is intriguing to wonder whether Real’s owner, Florentino Perez, considered recent legal arguments as he haggled with Tottenham Hotspur’s chairman,
CSKA Sofia drama builds as GLOBUL ends sponsorship
By Alexander Krassimirov
August 27 – Bulgaria’s CSKA Sofia will lose its main sponsor GLOBUL. The telecommunication company, which is the second largest in Bulgaria announced that it would not continue its cooperation with the club when the current sponsorship contract expires at the end of August.
Anelka mourns loss of Manasse and ponders own future
By Andrew Warshaw
August 26 – Former French international striker Nicolas Anelka is reported to be considering retiring following the death of his agent, Eric Manasse.
Boateng commits to return to international scene with Ghana
August 26 – AC Milan midfielder Kevin Prince Boateng, known as much for his famous walk-off in January that led to a spate of new anti-racism measures as for his exploits on the pitch, has decided to come out of international retirement and play again for Ghana.
Blatter repeats pledge to move 2022 out of its Summer slot
By Andrew Warshaw
August 26 – President Sepp Blatter has given the strongest indication yet that the Qatar 2022 World Cup will be moved from summer – but tellingly can’t confirm exactly when it would be staged instead.