Summit or lynch-mob? Brussels meeting adds more lobbyists
January 15 – Next week’s inaugural summit at the European Parliament by the so-called New Fifa Now campaign has added new speakers to the line-up.
Europe
Turkish football rocked by loss of major sponsor, blaming drop in brand value
By Mark Baber
January 15 – Murat Ülker, the chairman of Yıldız Holding, the major sponsor of the Turkish national team, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce has written to the Turkish Football Federation saying his company, which has ploughed $215 million into football in the last nine years, will no longer be supporting Turkish football.
Serie A is latest big league to add goalline technology
January 15 – Italian football is to introduce goalline technology from next season in Serie A after a task force appointed by the Italian Football Association (FIGC) ratified plans for its implementation.
Prosecutors stung as English spot-fixing case dropped due to lack of evidence
January 15 – Widely publicised allegations of spot-fixing involving 13 English-based footballers has been dropped due to “insufficient evidence”.
Cypriot ref faces police questions over match-fixing
January 14 – Police in Cyprus have reportedly detained the head of the country’s referees association Michalis Argyrou (pictured) over allegations that he tried to influence the outcome of a first-division match two years ago.
CIES report finds link between club squad instability and performance
By Mark Baber
January 14 – The International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) Football Observatory has published its first monthly report aimed at illuminating the reasons for and consequences of club instability at European level.
Who has the cash? More Messi doubts as he speaks of uncertain future
January 14 – Intrigue over Lionel Messi’s future has been fuelled by the Barcelona maestro admitting he does not know where he will be playing next year.
Poland’s Polsat secures TV rights for Poland’s second tier
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
January 14 – Poland’s I Liga, the second tier of the country’s professional football league, has signed a new broadcasting rights deal for the 2015/2016 season with Polsat, the country’s leading privately-owned broadcaster.
Fan group says end to Lokomotiv Provdiv crisis is coming with new owners
By Alexander Krassimirov
January 13 – Bulgaria’s Lokomotiv Plovdiv will come under new ownership in the next few days according to a representative of the group running the club, ‘Alliance for Lokomotiv’s Future’. Dian Kolev (pictured with club legend Hristo Bonev) made the announcement before the start of winter training camp of the team.
Belgians invest in women’s game from grassroots up, targeting EURO2017
By Samindra Kunti
January 13 – The Belgian FA, the KBVB, has presented a roadmap to stimulate the growth of its women’s football. The KBVB wants 35,000 active members by 2016 and qualification for EURO2017.
Howard Wells: Why the Brussels summit flails in the face of FIFA basics
Last week a group led by British politicians announced a one-day forum to be hosted at the European Parliament in Brussels, titled ‘A New FIFA Now’, and promising uncompromising talk of effecting change. In a guest column, Howard Wells, a former national federation CEO and former FIFA insider, argues the meeting is a political vanity project that clouds the debate rather than contributes to it. In the real politik of international football the talk-shop falls at the very first hurdle of failing to understand the basic structure of how football is governed worldwide.
Who runs Barca? Not me, claims Messi, saying rumours of a split are lies
January 12 – Lionel Messi has hit back at reports that he is unhappy at Barcelona and that he disagrees with coach Luis Enrique’s methods.
Rangers board rejects £20m buyout from US investor
By Paul Nicholson
January 12 – Rangers have turned down a revised bid of £20 million for a majority stake in the Scottish club from American Robert Sarver. The announcement was made to the London Stock Exchange this morning. Sarver had also offered the club an emergency £6.5 million loan as part of the deal.
British politicos line up FIFA-bashing forum in Brussels
January 9 – Campaigners pressing for greater reform at FIFA, including at least one of the candidates for FIFA president, are to converge on Brussels later this month to discuss how to bring about significant change. The meeting will take place at the European Parliament.
Investors line up cash for privatisation of Red Star, Partizan Belgrade
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
January 9 – Serbia’s Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has announced that various investors have expressed interest in the much-awaited privatisation of two of the country’s top football clubs, Red Star and Partizan Belgrade.