Manchester United named world’s most valuable club
By David Gold
April 23 – Manchester United are the world’s most valuable football club, according to Forbes’ latest magazine.
Telecinco to win Euro 2012 broadcast rights
By David Gold
April 23 – Spanish commercial broadcaster Telecinco, owned by Italian media giant Mediaset, is primed to win broadcast rights for UEFA Euro 2012, being held in Ukraine and Poland, according to reports there.
Halid banned from Indonesian Football Association elections
By David Gold
April 22 – FIFA has ruled that Nurdin Halid, the current head of the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI), is ineligible for the Executive Committee elections next month.
Getafe’s new Dubai owners set sights on Real Madrid
By David Gold
April 22 – A Dubai based group has announced the purchase of La Liga outfit Getafe in a deal worth €90million (£79 million/$131 million) – and immediately set their sights on working out how to beat local rivals Real Madrid, one of the giants of the world game.
SportFive agree deal to market Chelsea stars
By David Gold
April 22 – Chelsea have appointed sports marketing agency SportFive to market 19 of its first team squad players, including John Terry and Didier Drogba.
Johnson under fire for profligate World Cup 2018 bid expenditure
By Tom Degun
April 22 – Mayor of London Boris Johnson has come under fire as it was today revealed that he spent just under £300,000 ($495,000) on England’s shambolic bid to host the FIFA 2018 World Cup, which equates to nearly £50,000 ($83,000) more than he pledged.
Bin Hammam tries to match Blatter in funding pledge
By Andrew Warshaw
April 22 – The publicity machine ahead of the FIFA Presidency vote on June 1 swung back towards Mohamed Bin Hammam today when the challenger from Asia said he, too, would significantly increase funding to poorer nations if elected.
Exclusive: England 2018 bid gave contract to Board member’s son
By Andrew Warshaw
April 22 – England’s failed 2018 World Cup bid has come under fresh scrutiny with the revelation that a company run by the son of one-time 2018 Board member Sir Dave Richards secured commercial deals to provide merchandise to promote the bid.
Cafu announces plan for Japanese benefit game in Doha
By David Gold
April 22 – Doha looks set to host a benefit game in December for the victims of last month’s devastating earthquake and tsunami which struck Japan.
Platini unveils Euro 2016 Board
By David Gold
April 22 – UEFA President Michel Platini has unveiled the Board for the European Championships in 2016, the first tournament in the competition’s history being funded entirely by the continent’s governing body, and which is being held in France.
Qatar announce board of directors for 2022 World Cup
By David Gold
April 21 – The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, has announced the formation of a board of directors for the organisation of the 2022 World Cup, which will be the first time the tournament is held in the Middle East.
Sepp Blatter: There has been a 57 fold increase in football development under my leadership
When I joined FIFA in 1975 as its development officer, our organisation employed 11 people who operated out of an old Zurich villa and generated a modest income. Football was a pastime for many but by far not the power it has become ever since.
No matter what some critics say, FIFA has substantially contributed to the improvement of lives around the world over the last three decades. Since I joined in the seventies,
Zamalek handed fine and ordered to play behind closed doors following pitch invasion
By David Gold
April 20 – The African Football Confederation (CAF) has fined Egyptian outfit Zamalek following a pitch invasion after a game in the African Champions League last month.
UEFA will announce which FIFA Presidential candidate it supports in May, says Platini
By Andrew Warshaw at the Guildhall in London
April 20 – UEFA will decide at the beginning of May which candidate to back in the forthcoming FIFA election campaign, its President Michael Platini revealed today.
Exclusive: Tottenham legal challenge over Olympic Stadium set to fail warns London Mayor
By Andrew Warshaw at the Guildhall in London
April 20 – Tottenham Hotspur’s bid to overturn the decision to allow rivals West Ham United to move to the Olympic Stadium after next year’s Games is doomed to fail, London Mayor Boris Johnson hinted today.