Band hits discordant note in Scotland vs England ‘friendly’
November 20 – England fans have been criticised, and the FA has apologised on their behalf, following provocative chanting during this week’s prestige friendly with Scotland.
Europe
Naming rights deal nears for Real’s re-modelled Bernabeu
November 20 – Real Madrid looks set to announce a naming rights deal for stadium after Florentino Perez was caught on camera saying the Bernabeu could soon be called the IPIC Bernabeu or Cepsa Bernabeu.
The Marseilles Connection: detectives swoop on OM kingpins
By Mark Baber
November 19 – In a throwback to the Bernard Tapie scandals of the 1990s, French police swooped in on the leading lights of Olympique Marseille (OM) on Tuesday morning, arresting club president Vincent Labrun and general manager Philip Perez at their homes in Saint-Remy de Provence and Marseille and questioning them over potential corruption and kick backs involving multi-million Euro transfer deals.
Russian robots poised to make their World Cup debuts
By Paul Nicholson
November 19 – According to Russian news agency Tass, scientists at Russia’s Siberian university have started building Russia’s first robot team.
Dallas resigns as head of Greek ref body after violent attack on colleague
By Andrew Warshaw
November 19 – Scotland’s former World Cup referee Hugh Dallas (pictured) has stepped down as head of referees in Greece just days after matches were suspended indefinitely following an attack on one of his colleagues.
Croatian FA appeals for national help to clamp down on rioting fans
November 18 – Croatian football authorities, seemingly at the end of their patience over the hooligan reputation of their fans, have called on the country’s entire society to help eradicate the problem following last weekend’s flare-throwing incident that caused a Euro 2016 qualifier in Italy to be briefly suspended.
Stadium riot interrupts Italy vs Croatia Euro qualifier, Faroes upset Greeks
November 17 – UEFA seem certain to take action after the latest incident of crowd trouble to mar a major game on the European stage. Riot police fought with fans at the high-profile Euro 2016 qualifier between Italy and Croatia that ended 1-1 as a flood of flares were hurled down the from stands, enveloping the pitch at the San Siro in thick smoke.
Racism row over Roma team in Czech Republic
By Mark Baber
November 13 – The issue of a Roma football club based in Decin in the Czech Republic, whom five league opponents have refused to play, has highlighted the racism and discrimination faced by the Roma communities in Eastern Europe and illustrates the obstacles football administrators need to overcome to ensure equal access and opportunities for all.
FC Zurich head straight to legal after ‘intentional’ stamp puts player out
November 13 – A Swiss top-flight team have initiated legal proceedings after one of its players suffered a serious injury following a horror tackle by an opponent last weekend.
AC Milan expand into Japan with Lawson sponsorship
November 12 – AC Milan have built on their popularity in Japan signing a sponsorhsip with leading retail store chain Lawson. The deal was announced at a Sponsor Day at the club by CEO and VP Barbara Berlusconi.
Movistar dials-up another two years of Spain national team sponsorship
By Mark Baber
November 12 – Movistar, which has been the main sponsor of the Spanish national team since the Euro 2012 championship in Poland and Ukraine, has extended its sponsorship to cover the period up to and including the Euro 2016 Championship in France.
Russian Premier League signs ICSS for security help
November 12 – Amid persistent crowd disturbances and allegations of corruption that do little to enhance the country’s staging of the 2018 World Cup, the Russian Football Premier League is the latest partner to be signed up by the Qatar-based International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) to protect the country’s top division from emerging threats to safety, security and integrity.
FIFA pours cold water on Norwegian FA ‘dinner’ talk
November 11 – FIFA have moved quickly to dispel a report that claimed Sepp Blatter believes Qatar will be stripped of hosting the 2022 World Cup.
Ajax Amsterdam seals €8 million sponsorship deal with Ziggo
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
November 11 – Ajax Amsterdam has inked a sponsorship deal with local cable and media firm Ziggo. Starting in January 2015, Ziggo will replace insurance and pension firm Aegon as the club’s main sponsor under a deal worth at least €8 million per year, the side said in a statement.
France top Brazil in table of exported players to big-5 Euro leagues
By Paul Nicholson
November 11 – There has been a subtle shift in the balance of expatriate players in the big-5 leagues in Europe with a marked increase in the numbers of Europeans moving to leagues outside their home country, with the balance moving away from the exporting South American markets. The overall percentage of ‘foreign’ players in the big-5 leagues continues to rise, hitting a record 45.9%, according to figures from the CIES Football Observatory.