Liberian FA bans ref for 2 years for taking bribe
August 14 – The Liberia Football Association (LFA) has banned referee Josephus Torjilar for two years for accepting a bribe.
Exclusive: FIFA swoops on African FAs’ World Cup rights with 8-day ultimatum
By Osasu Obayiuwana
August 13 – In a highly unusual move, FIFA has asked the 54 member associations of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to sign a one-page media rights “mandate” that gives the world governing body “an irrevocable mandate to implement a central marketing plan to market and commercialise the media rights for the FIFA African Qualifiers 2022 & 2026.”
Clubs concerned as Brazilian rhythm interrupted by long VAR pauses
August 13 – Brazilian club matches truncated by the intervention of VAR have stirred a nationwide debate over the pros and cons of the new technology. To remedy the situation, Sao Paulo giants Palmeiras have demanded the clubs meet the CBF’s refereeing committee.
De Boer says equal pay at international level would be ‘ridiculous’
August 13 – Atlanta United coach Frank de Boer has weighed in on the equal pay debate, controversially claiming that “equal pay at international level now would be ridiculous”.
Caged in Croatia: Aberdeen complain to UEFA over fan treatment
August 13 – Aberdeen have complained to UEFA over the treatment of their fans during last week’s Europa League qualifier against Rijeka in Croatia.
US Soccer appoint Markgraf as women’s supremo
August 13 – Kate Markgraf has been appointed general manager of the US women’s team and will immediately lead the search for a new head coach following Jill Ellis’ announcement last month that she is stepping down following the country’s World Cup victory last month.
Bielsa’s bucket breaks the ice for Leeds United with US e-commerce giant Wish
August 13 – Ambitious Championship club Leeds United have secured US e-commerce platform Wish as the club’s Official Presenting Partner for the 2019/20 season.
EA Sports extends PSG deal to 2024 with added content proposition
August 13 – Paris Saint-Germain have renewed their partnership with video game developer EA Sports that will see new club features and enhanced PSG graphics introduced for the FIFA 20 game launching next month.
Racist fans land Partizan Belgrade with a two-match closed stadium sanction
August 13 – Partizan Belgrade have been slapped with a two-match stadium ban by UEFA who have clearly run out of patience with the racist element of the club’s fans. The Serbian club have been punished because of behaviour of supporters in the first leg of their third qualifying round Europa League win over Yeni Malatyaspor of Turkey.
Argentine World Cup legend ‘Tata’ Brown dies, aged 62
August 13 – Argentine legend Jose Luis ‘Tata’ Brown, who scored the opening goal in the 1986 World Cup final against West Germany, has died at the age of 62.
19.com secures Leicester City deal as it seeks to expand in Europe
August 13 – Premier League Leicester City has signed Asian betting operator 19.com as the club’s new Official Betting Partner.
Battle honours even between Rubiales and Tebas in LaLiga match date war
By Andrew Warshaw
August 12 – The bitter dispute between La Liga and the Spanish FA (RFEF) over which days are eligible for league matches has been resolved with a judge ruling that Fridays are fine but imposing a blanket ban on games being played on Monday nights.
SportPesa pulls out of Kenyan sponsorships after regulators crackdown on betting taxes
August 12 – Betting giant SportPesa has pulled the plug on all its sports sponsorships in Kenya after a prolonged tax dispute with local authorities.
MLS rules out anti-Nazi ‘Iron Front’ flags in stadia
August 12 – A Major League Soccer derby between northwest rivals Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders has burst into controversy ahead of a potentially politically-motivated clash between right-wing and left-wing activists on August 17.
Bolton fight for survival as kids secure surprise first league point
August 12 – The financial soap opera that has become the story of Bolton Wanderers’ battle for survival took another twist at the end of last week. It was then followed by perhaps the most noteworthy result of England’s football weekend as the club managed a 0-0 draw with Coventry sending out a team that had an average age 19.