By Andrew Warshaw
May 16 – English football is cracking down on racism from next season – but not as strongly as UEFA. Players found guilty of racially abusing an opponent will be suspended for a minimum of five matches, half the sentence UEFA says it will impose in its competitions.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 16 – Sir Alex Ferguson isn’t the only Manchester United icon to retire from football. Former England captain David Beckham – arguably the most recognised and respected player of his generation – has now announced that he, too, is stepping down at the end of this season after a distinguished career spanning 20 years.
May 16 – FIFA has announced the final sponsor partner in its World Cup programme, signing Centauro, south America’s leading sports retailer, as a National Supporter. The announcement was made by FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke in Rio following a meeting of the local organising committee board.
By Mark Baber
May 16 – US soccer fan, Richard Swanson, was tragically killed by a pick-up truck, two weeks after embarking on a 10,000 mile charity trek aimed at dribbling a football from Seattle to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup.
By Mark Baber
May 16 – A group of ASEAN sports ministers have tabled a plan to launch a joint bid to host the World Cup in 2034, according to the deputy president of Malaysia’s football association and AFF member Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah (pictured).
By Andrew Warshaw
May 16 – Jeffrey Webb, chairman of Fifa’s recently established Anti-Racism and Discrimination Task Force, has issued his own scathing indictment of the Italian authorities for only fining Roma over last weekend’s racist abuse by their fans towards three Milan players.
By Gareth Messenger
May 16 – With just three days notice, Granada city council have written to the LFP requesting that the La Liga match between Granada CF and Osasuna, scheduled for May 18, is switched to an alternative date.
By Andrew Warshaw in Amsterdam
May 16 – However fortuitous Chelsea were in their Europa League victory over Benfica on Wednesday night, behind the scenes tournament sponsors Western Union were celebrating their own special landmark. Commercial partners traditionally deliver all kinds of reasons, some more credible than others, for getting into bed with football to enhance their brand awareness. But sometimes a campaign looks such an obvious fit, it seems destined for immediate success.
By David Owen
May 16 – The number of positive doping tests in football may be set to fall significantly because of a change implemented by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). WADA this week announced a 10-fold increase in the threshold level for marijuana.
It would be easy to say that the sacking of Roberto Mancini shows the short-term mentality that is now part of DNA of owners. If a manager, who secured City their first League title for over 40 years, can be sacked a year after that triumph, then no one in modern football is secure. Yet the Italian’s departure raises questions about the faceless men of football, they are all generally men, the people who really manage the club but who never,
What have Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City and Real Madrid got in common?
It’s not just that they were drawn together in the toughest group in the Champions League this year.
They also all finished a distant and disappointing second in their domestic leagues.
Dortmund can be excused of course. They have achieved miracles in the Champions League, and who’d really be able to keep up with Bayern Munich the way they have played throughout 2012/13.
By Tom Parsons
May 16 – News that the English Premier League could have its first-ever play off for a Champions League spot if results went a certain way this weekend, has sparked a wave of social media excitement and betting activity.
By Gareth Messenger
May 15 – Arsenal are expected to receive a windfall of around £3million after Barcelona were officially revealed as the new champions of Spain.
By Mark Baber
May 5 – The ‘Neighbours Series’ tournament, scheduled to be hosted by Fulham FC at Craven Cottage between the national sides of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in June, has been cancelled.
By Mark Baber
May 15 – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld the award of a 3-0 win to Dynamo Moscow, imposed by the Football Union of Russia (FUR), after the game between Dynamo and Zenit was abandoned after Dynamo’s goalkeeper was hit by a flare thrown by Zenit fans. The panel also rejected Zenit’s requests to sanction Dynamo Moscow.