Inside World Football - Page 1946 of 2238 - For the Business of Football

David Owen: Will Platini’s Euro 2020 experiment have a bearing on the race to succeed Sepp Blatter?

David Owen_IWF

Some thoughts on Euro 2020:

● Yes, a 24-team tournament is too unwieldy for most European countries to take on; but it is simplistic to suggest that this alone forced UEFA’s hand, necessitating the adoption of Michel Platini’s Grand Experiment – a competition spread around the great arenas of the European continent.

Turkey, pipped at the post for Euro 2016, could have coped with the expanded format and would, I’m sure,

Archive

Chelsea’s Mikel banned over Clattenburg threats

Chelseas John_Mikel_Obi__referee_Mark_Clattenburg

By Andrew Warshaw

December 7 – John Mikel Obi, the Chelsea midfielder at the centre of the recent case concerning referee Mark Clattenburg who was cleared of racism, has himself been handed a three-match ban and fined £60,000 ($96,000/€74,000) by the English Football Association (FA) for threatening Clattenburg.

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IOC open investigation into South Korean footballer after political protest

Park Jong-woo_in_action

By Duncan Mackay at the Palace Hotel in Lausanne

December 7 – A Disciplinary Commission has been set-up by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which could see South Korean footballer Park Jong-woo denied the bronze medal he won at London 2012 for his political protest.

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TEAM marketing deal breaks new ground with UEFA

TEAM Marketing_logo

December 7 – UEFA has announced an extension of its long-term marketing partnership with TEAM Marketing.

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Bin Hammam ban extended while Garcia report reviewed

Mohamed Bin_Hammam_President_of_the_Asian_Football_Confederation_AFC

By Andrew Warshaw

December 7 – Twenty four hours before it was due to expire, the latest 45-day suspension of former FIFA vice-president Mohamed Bin Hammam, who has been out of football for 18 months, was again extended today but left open-ended after FIFA-appointed prosecutors completed their investigation into alleged malpractice by the once most powerful figure in Asian football.

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Platini’s revolutionary plan for Euro 2020 given go-ahead

Spain celebrate_winning_Euro_2012_July_1_2012

By Andrew Warshaw

December 7 – UEFA President Michel Platini’s revolutionary plan to stage the 2020 European Championship finals in at least 12 cities across the entire Continent was officially approved by his Executive Committee today – though with few additional details.

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No more taxpayer money for Olympic Stadium says London Assembly report

Olympic-stadium 1

By Tom Degun

December 7 – Londoners must not be asked to pay any more money for the transformation of the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, especially now West Ham United have been named the preferred bidders, a report from the London Assembly said today.

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FIFA gives Indonesia deadline to resolve rifts or face sanctions

pssi

By Andrew Warshaw

December 6 – FIFA has given rival Indonesian football factions until Monday (December 10) to end their in-fighting or face suspension from the world game, according to local reports.

Andrew Warshaw: The global clamour for goal-line technology is finally bearing fruit

Andrew Warshaw_IWF

Did the ball cross the line? It’s a question fans have been asking ever since the 1966 FIFA World Cup final when England striker Geoff Hurst’s extra time goal against Germany was dubiously yet innocently allowed to stand by the Swiss referee on the advice of his Soviet linesman.

The other more pressing question is why nothing has ever been done, in the 46 years since, to avoid countless similar occurrences of the referee getting it wrong,

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FIFA welcomes introduction of goal-line technology

club world_cup_goalline

By Andrew Warshaw

December 6 – FIFA has welcomed the introduction of goal-line technology, being rolled out for the first time in official competition at the Club World Cup in Japan starting today.

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Brazil 2014 ups World Cup security budget to 1.879 billion real

brazil security

By Andrew Warshaw

December 6 – Blighted by an alarming crime rate, Brazil is boosting its 2014 FIFA World Cup security budget to 1.879 billion Brazilian real (£560 million/$900 million/€680 million) to make sure the event is “one of the most protected sports events in history,” the Government has announced.

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FIFPro slams Indonesia following death of Paraguayan player

Mendieta coffin

By Andrew Warshaw

December 6 – The death from a routine virus of Diego Mendieta, a Paraguayan player based in Indonesia, has outraged the international players’ union, FIFPro.

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West Ham bid to take over Olympic Stadium given greenlight by Legacy Company but safety net put in place

London 2012_Olympic_Stadium

By Duncan Mackay

December 5 – Premier League club West Ham United have taken a major step towards moving into the Olympic Stadium after they were “ranked highest of the bids received”, according to the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC).

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Exclusive: Bin Hammam ban ends Friday, investigators need new evidence for further action

Mohammed bin_Hammam_051212

By Andrew Warshaw

December 5 – The ongoing probe into alleged malpractice by Asian football powerbroker Mohamed Bin Hammam, which has seriously split his increasingly dysfunctional confederation, reaches a crucial stage within the next 48 hours during which FIFA-appointed United States investigators must decide what action to take against him, if any.

African Nations Cup

Nonkonyana brands players abandoning African Nations Cup “selfish and egotistical”

Michael Essien

By Andrew Warshaw

December 5 – The chairman of the local organising committee for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana, has branded players opting out of the continent’s showpiece event as “selfish and egotistical”.