New year, same old issues. Greek FA raided by financial police
January 16 – Greek football has been plunged into further controversy following a raid by local police on the headquarters of the Hellenic Football Federation (HFF).
BodyArmor expands MLS deal with 19 club partnerships
January 16 – Sports drink BodyArmor has expanded its partnership within Major League Soccer, announcing it now has ties with 19 of the MLS’s clubs.
Everton come unstuck with towering £111.8 m loss as Usmanov lurks in wings
By David Owen
January 15 – Everton have become the second Premier League club this month to report losses of more than £100 million.
Irish FA’s €60m bail-out talks ‘positive’ as negotiation enters crucial end-phase
January 15 – A rescue package to save the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) from complete collapse has moved a step closer following survival talks between Irish officials and UEFA.
Security fears force Man Utd to scrap plans for Middle East winter break
January 15 – Manchester United have scrapped plans for a training camp in the Gulf during next month’s English winter break because of heightening tensions in the region.
Japanese legend Keisuke Honda to build new club from scratch
January 15 – Former Japanese international Keisuke Honda wants to found an amateur football club in Tokyo after a previously failed attempt to run a club in Austria.
Milan venue for FIFA eClub World Cup 2020 finals
January 15 – Milan will be the host city for the FIFA eClub World Cup 2020 finals that will be played February 7-9, the first time the finals have been held in Italy.
Anderlecht reshuffle board as Kompany-led team fails to catch fire
January 15 – Belgium’s RSC Anderlecht have reshuffled their boardroom in a bid to halt the club’s dramatic, recent slide. Earlier this season, the appointment of Vincent Kompany as player-coach backfired.
New launch LaLigaTV adds Virgin to Sky distribution and 11m+ market potential
January 15 – The new LaLigaTV channel that launched this week on the Sky TV platform in the UK as a standalone service has now added the Virgin Media cable platform to its distribution. The channel now has access to a potential 11.7 million subscription market in the UK.
Fanatiz raises $10m from 777 Partners to roll out streaming service beyond Americas
January 15 – The investor rush to secure positions in technology companies and applications that are changing the football business, and the broadcast business in particular, has seen another investment in a streaming service.
Exclusive: Lekjaa says CAF has cash and that no decision has been made on Samoura staying
By Osasu Obayiuwana
January 14 – Fouzi Lekjaa, second Vice-President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), has told Insideworldfootball that the organisation has a minimum bank balance of $100 million and is far from broke, as has been alleged in recently months.
Patel says hosting U17 Women’s World Cup will boost India’s profile but more help needed
January 14 – All India Football Federation president Praful Patel (pictured) has said that Indian football will enjoy “global recognition” by staging the U-17 Women’s World Cup this year.
Barca oust Real at top of revenue table, Man Utd, Bayern, PSG and City follow
By David Owen
January 14 – Barcelona have supplanted bitter rivals Real Madrid at the top of this year’s Deloitte Football Money League, heading the ranking of the 20 highest revenue-generating world football clubs for the first time.
Football dominates match-fixing numbers with Europe topping the count
January 14 – The GLMS (Global Lottery Monitoring System) has sent 787 alerts of potential betting related match fixing events to its sports partners. 570 of these alerts have been in Europe and 450 them in football.
Argentina is major source of players for South American leagues, as Brazilians go global
January 14 – An analysis of the four leading leagues in South America – Brazil’s Serie A, Argentina’s Superliga, the Chilean Primera División and the Mexican Liga MX – has thrown up a number of differences, most interestingly in the movement and development of playing talent.