TEAM marketing deal breaks new ground with UEFA
December 7 – UEFA has announced an extension of its long-term marketing partnership with TEAM Marketing.
Women's Euro 2025
Norway gunning for top spot to avoid Spain
July 10 – Norway take on Iceland in their final Group A match looking to clinch top spot and steer clear of Spain in the quarter finals of Euro 2025.
Bin Hammam ban extended while Garcia report reviewed
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.
Platini’s revolutionary plan for Euro 2020 given go-ahead
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.
No more taxpayer money for Olympic Stadium says London Assembly report
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.
FIFA gives Indonesia deadline to resolve rifts or face sanctions
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
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,
FIFA welcomes introduction of goal-line technology
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.
Brazil 2014 ups World Cup security budget to 1.879 billion real
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.
FIFPro slams Indonesia following death of Paraguayan player
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.
West Ham bid to take over Olympic Stadium given greenlight by Legacy Company but safety net put in place
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).
Exclusive: Bin Hammam ban ends Friday, investigators need new evidence for further action
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.
Nonkonyana brands players abandoning African Nations Cup “selfish and egotistical”
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”.
CONCACAF integrity committee starts to right past wrongs
By Andrew Warshaw
December 5 – Two months after its first meeting, the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football’s (CONCACAF) new integrity committee, set up to clean up the body after an unsavoury period of blood-letting, is beginning getting to grips with the misdemeanours of the past.
Dutch youth players beat linesman to death
By Andrew Warshaw
December 5 – Dutch football and society in general has been left shocked and bewildered after a part-time volunteer linesman officiating in a youth league died from severe head injuries apparently sustained while being savagely beaten by a group of teenage players.
It was not the right time for Brazil to sack Menezes, insists Zagallo
By Andrew Warshaw
December 5 – Brazilian football authorities should have kept faith with Mario Menezes instead of sacking him just 18 months out from the FIFA World Cup, according to Mário Zagallo, one of Brazil’s greatest names.