By Andrew Warshaw
February 20 – In a landmark fan protest that could have significant long-term consequences, supporters of two English clubs have joined forces to condemn what they claim are unlawful ticket and travel restrictions.
February 20 – The Football League has once again rebuffed a rival bid to take over stricken English club Portsmouth, re-iterating they will only consider a fans’ takeover.
The elation of winning the Africa Cup of Nations, being at the top of the continental football summit, is what matters for the ordinary fan; National team triumph, and the accompanying two-year bragging rights, mean everything to them.
But as football federation officials from Nigeria, the newly crowned champions – or the 28 previous winners of the trophy – will bluntly tell you, that is all a nation gets.
February 20 – Fifteen Eritrean footballers who disappeared whilst playing in a regional tournament in December have been granted asylum in Uganda.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 20 – FIFA have confirmed once again that goal-line technology will be used at the 2014 World Cup, but which system will be employed in Brazil is now the main issue.
By Andrew Warshaw, Chief Correspondent
February 19 – Five years after celebrating their independence from Serbia, Kosovan football officials say they have been betrayed after being promised partial acceptance into the world game.
February 19 – In the wake of Nigeria’s stunning success at the African Cup of Nations, the country’s top flight domestic league, the newly renamed the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), is to receive government help to sort out its financial difficulties and kick off next month.
By Mark Baber
February 19 – Club officials met yesterday to discuss a cross-border Russian-Ukrainian league. A meeting attended by 14 Russian clubs, but with only one club from the Ukraine turning up.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 19 – In a damaging blow to the image of football in China, which has been spending like crazy to acquire top players towards the end of their careers, Shanghai Shenhua have been stripped of their 2003 league title and fined £103,000 as part of on ongoing investigation into a match fixing scandal.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 19 – UEFA president Michel Platini has used his organisation’s own publication, Uefa Direct, to appeal for the game to pull together to eliminate both cheating and off-the-field foul play.
February 19 – A further delay in a decision rubber-stamping West Ham’s move to the Olympic stadium used for London 2012 looks set to frustrate the club and its supporters.
February 19 – Corporate hospitality packages for the UEFA Europa League final at the Amsterdam ArenA on May 15 are still available, 2 months after the sales programme was launched.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 18 – A consortium led by Keith Harris, former chairman of the Football League but in recent years a leading football financier acting for a number of high-profile clients, has not given up taking over Portsmouth in yet another new twist to the biggest soap opera in English football ownership.
February 18 – UEFA has issued another tender for suppliers, this time a request for IT proposals for ticketing and hospitality solutions for its major events.
February 18 – Fresh moves to combat the worrying resurgence of racism in football are being discussed by FIFA with a view to firm proposals for tougher sanctions being added to the agenda at May’s increasingly significant annual congress in Mauritius.