Football’s first social media pen opens at Wembley for FA Cup semis
By Tom Parsons
April 11- Wembley plays host to this weekend’s FA Cup semi-finals with football’s first social media pen opening at the historic venue at the same time.
Europe
Russian parliament passes anti-hooliganism bill
By Mark Baber and Andrew Warshaw
April 11 – The Russian Duma has passed a new bill banning violent and abusive fans from stadiums with 226 votes for and just one abstention. The bill will now go to the Federation Council, before being signed off by President Vladimir Putin.
Pompey fans win control of club and ground in last minute deal
By Andrew Warshaw
April 11 – After years of pain, heartache and broken dreams, the biggest fan ownership in the history of English football has finally been rubber-stamped after administrators of Portsmouth football club struck a last-minute deal for the sale of the club’s ground hours before the High Court hearing was to rule on its value.
UEFA unveils 10 game ban plan for racism on pitch, and closed stadiums for fan abuse
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent, in Manchester
April 10 – In arguably the biggest crackdown to date to tackle racism in football, UEFA will ban players and officials for a minimum 10 games if they are found guilty of abuse – and are also hitting fans hard by ordering teams to play behind closed doors.
High noon in the High Court for Pompey fans buyout bid
By Andrew Warshaw
April 10 – The High Court hearing into the future of ailing English club Portsmouth was finally due to get under way today in what supporters hope will result in the biggest fan ownership scheme in English football.
Poland’s Ekstraklasa revamps its league structure for 2013/14 season
By Krzysztof Baranowski
April 10 – Poland’s top professional league, the T-Mobile Ekstraklasa, has radically reformed its structure for the 2013/14 season that is scheduled to kick off July 13 and play through to May 2014. The changes have been prompted by a requirement to make the league more attractive for media partners and sponsors.
Spanish players lobby for larger voice in league and club business
By Gareth Messenger
April 9 – A total 70 players from sides residing in the Primera and Segunda divisions met in Madrid yesterday at a meeting organised by the Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE) to discuss a range of topics from legal uncertainty to economic control of football clubs.
Olympic hangover and recession hits English football’s sponsorship sales
By Mark Baber
April 9 – As the English Premier League and its clubs enjoy massive TV revenue and chunky sponsorship deals, even for training kits, the next levels down are struggling to find sponsors.
Valladolid consider action against Atlético de Madrid over player ‘tapping up’
By Mónica Villar
April 9 – Spain’s PLa Liga side Valladolid are considering legal action after it came to light that Atlético de Madrid’s Sporting director, José Luis Pérez Caminero, has had a secret meeting with Valladolid winger Patrick Ebert.
Deportivo get tax back but TV cash and image rights revenue still withheld
By Monica Villar
April 8 – Deportivo La Coruna may be showing signs of improvement on the pitch as the season comes to a close, but economically the Galicians are having a tough time as the life-threatening battle over cash to run the club intensifies.
Real Madrid wait for EC rulings on Bernabeu land deals
By Tom Parsons
April 4 – Real Madrid will have to wait longer for the EU decision on whether they received illegal state aid surrounding property deals, a decision that could have wider consequences for other clubs in Europe.
Barton’s Thiago tweet upsets Parisians, L’Equipe and gay activists
By Andrew Warshaw
April 4 – Controversial England midfielder Joey Barton, currently playing for Marseille, is in trouble again after arch-rivals Paris St Germain threatened action against him for likening PSG’s Brazilian defender Thiago Silva to a transsexual on his Twitter account.
UEFA caught between a rock and a hard place on Gibraltar
By Mark Baber
April 4 – As the UEFA Congress vote in May on Gibraltar’s football status nears, the Spanish Government has declared that it will back the Spanish Football Federation in trying to block Gibraltar’s full membership. In answer to questions from Ezquerra Republicana de Cataluña (ERC) representative Alfred Bosch in the Madrid Cortes, a Spanish government spokesman said: “At this point in time, the Government does not consider the possible staging of official football matches between Spain and Gibraltar.
75% supertax looms threateningly over French clubs and players
By Mark Baber
April 3 – The French government remains determined to fulfil its manifesto commitment to bring in a new 75% supertax, despite judicial setbacks. The supertax will apply to companies who pay salaries over €1 million, including football clubs.
April date for ‘bonfire-gate’ hearing in Zurich
By Andrew Warshaw
April 3 – England’s fate over the alleged racist abuse directed towards defender Rio Ferdinand and his brother Anton could be heard by FIFA as early as April 10.