Anderlecht u-turn threatens Brussels 2020 Euro stadium
By Samindra Kunti
October 5 – Belgium’s proposed new Brussels-based stadium for the EURO2020 finals might be in danger after leading club RSC Anderlecht have pulled out of the project.
Europe
Estonia earmarks €5m stadium spend as national team interest grows
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
October 2 – As a result of increased interest in the home matches played by Estonia’s national team, the country’s government is planning to spend about €5 million with the aim of increasing the capacity of A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn to about 15,000 seats.
Amsterdam ArenA upgrades for 2020 Euros with dramatic new shape
By Paul Nicholson
October 2 – Amsterdam ArenA, the home of Dutch giants Ajax and which will host four matches at the 2020 European Championships, has unveiled a major €50 million renovation project that will radically alter the look of the stadium and upgrade spectator facilities.
English FA see no Platini problem and reconfirm backing for FIFA leadership
By Andrew Warshaw
October 1 – England’s Football Association says it will continue to back Michel Platini’s bid to become FIFA president despite the Frenchman being drawn into the FIFA corruption scandal with last week’s revelation that he received SFr 2million for carrying out work on behalf of Sepp Blatter at the time he was his special adviser.
Barca’s Mascherano feels the heat as Spanish hit him with €1.5m tax fraud charges
September 30 – Barcelona’s Argentine international Javier Mascherano has been charged with two counts of tax evasion in the latest fraud case to hit Spanish-based players.
English FA to discuss whether to keep backing Platini for FIFA presidency
By Andrew Warshaw
September 30 – English FA officials meeting today are expected to discuss whether to stick by their decision to support embattled UEFA boss Michel Platini in next February’s FIFA presidential election.
Romania’s richest jailbird stays locked up leaving his Liga1 club strapped for cash
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
September 29 – The financial woes of Romanian top tier club Astra Giurgiu are set to continue as an application for an early release filed by its jailed owner, Romanian businessman Ioan Niculae (pictured), was recently rejected by a local court. Niculae is currently serving a sentence of 914 days, and, under Romanian law, to be granted an early release, he must serve at least 304 days.
VW crisis will not pollute Wolfsburg, says Allofs
September 29 – The Volkswagen emissions scandal will not affect the status of Wolfsburg, the Bundesliga club owned by the embattled car manufacturer, according to sporting director Klaus Allofs.
Barca’s Neymar has $47m of assets frozen in Brazilian tax case
By Paul Nicholson
September 28 – The struggle that Barcelona’s star players have with paying their taxes has continued with Neymar being the latest to fall foul of the authorities with a Brazilian judge freezing 188.8m reais ($47.6 million) of his assets in a tax evasion case.
Will VW’s emissions scandal pollute Germany’s football sponsorship balance?
By Mark Baber
September 25 – The extent of the fall-out for football from the Volkswagen emissions scandal has been the subject of speculation with analysis focusing on the extent of VW’s involvement in football, the depth of the crisis facing the company, the identities of the company’s top management and the role of football sponsorship in VW’s marketing mix.
Belgian coach plots course to return Saudi to Asian elite
By Samindra Kunti
September 25 – Deep into the second half of Saudi Arabia’s World Cup qualifier away to Malaysia in September, the Ultras Malaya, a group of hot-headed home supporters, threw flares and fireworks on to the pitch of the Shah Alam Stadium in Selangor, a province on Malaysia’s east coast. Smoke rapidly began to fill the ground and left referee Liu Kwak Man from Hong Kong with little choice but to abandon the game.
Lewandowski rips up record books with high fives all round
September 24 – Social media sites are still buzzing with the sheer incredulity of it all. Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski was already regarded as one of Europe’s most dangerous strikers but even he could not have anticipated what would happen when he stepped off the bench at half-time against Wolfsburg on Tuesday.
Unrepentant Barca look for FIFA loophole to allow them to play Arda Turan
By Mark Baber
September 23 – Barcelona, have asked the Spanish football federation and FIFA to allow them to play their summer acquisition Arda Turan, a player who was signed during their transfer ban, on the understanding he would not play until January, as soon as possible.
Big leagues and clubs keep their cash in the family, and Monaco get richer
By Paul Nicholson
September 23 – A breakdown of where the money went from the last transfer window finds that the overwhelming bulk of it – 70% – stayed within the Big 5 European leagues of England, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. And keeping it in the family proved particularly good for AS Monaco who took in €202 million in transfer fees and topped the list of clubs who profited from the summer trading window with a €121 million positive balance.
Former Romanian mayor investigated for illegally funding Politehnica Timisoara
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
September 22 – Romania’s National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) has launched an investigation to determine whether Gheorghe Ciuhandu, the former mayor of Timisoara, and two other local officials illegally funded local football club Politehnica Timisoara, which was privately-owned, between 2008 and 2011.