By Andrew Warshaw
August 19 – The manager of Scottish giants Celtic has urged UEFA not to bow to the demands of Europe’s traditional big-hitters to the detriment of other equally deserving clubs as European football’s governing body prepares to head off the threat of a breakaway Super League.
August 19 – The preliminary round of the UEFA Futsal Cup for clubs completes this weekend with 32 teams battling for 8 places in the Main round of 24. The 2016/17 championship has seen a record entry of 52 clubs including for the first time teams from Kosovo and San Marino,
By Paul Nicholson
August 17 – Celtic fans, a hard-core group of whom have never been shy to express political opinion at football matches, defied Scottish police and club requests with hundreds of them waving Palestinian flags at their first-leg Champions League play-off against Israeli champions Hapoel Be’er Sheva.
August 17 – A US study into how fans rank their experiences at big league sports in the US has found that Major League Soccer teams rank no lower than second in each of America’s four largest markets of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston against the NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA teams in those markets.
By Paul Nicholson
August 17 – The UEFA Champions League and its associated Europa League club competition now looks certain to change its qualification format to head off the threat of a Super League breakaway by leading clubs.
August 15 – The long march of Chinese money into Europe’s big leagues took a significant step into France’s Ligue 1 this weekend with Olympique Lyonnais owner OL Groupe announcing that Chinese investment fund IDG Capital Partners has agreed to take a 20% stake in the club.
August 12 – Charlton Athletic (CAFC), relegated to England’s third tier Division 1 with a cacophony of complaint from its fans last season, has acted to control the social media agenda by threatening a fan to withhold his season ticket unless he stops posting aggressively about the club’s ownership.
August 12 – An arrest warrant has been issued in Turkey for former international striker Hakan Sukur as part of the investigation into the failed July 15 coup. Houses in Istanbul and Sakarya were raided but Sukur is understood to be living in the US.
August 12 – The Chinese buyers of Italy’s AC Milan have named Marco Fassone, former Juventus and Inter Milan general manager, as chief executive once their takeover has gone through.
August 11 – Ligue 1 side OGC Nice will open their season on Sunday wearing a special kit to honour the victims of the Nice terror attack last month.
August 11 – With Chinese money having taken positions in big league Italian and English clubs, France has attracted more Chinese interest with ORG Packaging having bought a controlling 60% stake in AJ Auxerre for €7 million.
August 10 – Champions League winners Real Madrid edged Europa League titlists and fellow Spaniards Sevilla 3-2 after extra time in a dramatic Super Cup in Norway.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 8 – UEFA presidential candidate Aleksander Ceferin has issued his manifesto focussing on the need for Europe’s lesser-known clubs and countries to be given proper opportunities in major competitions.
August 8 – After 30 years in charge, Silvio Berlusconi has agreed to sell Serie A giant AC Milan to a group of Chinese investors for €740 million, a price that includes about €220 million of debt.
August 8 – Nineteen members of La Familia, the rightwing faction of Beitar Jerusalem, whose fans are regarded as the most hostile in Israel, have been charged with attempted murder, aggravated sabotage, racist offenses and illegal possession of weapons.