Roma eyes €28m Etihad hook-up but airline says there is no deal

Stadio della Roma plan

By Jaroslaw Adamowski
May 13 – AS Roma is poised to sign a main sponsorship deal with Etihad Airways. Under the plan, the UAE-based airlines will pay the Italian side about €14 million per year as the club’s main sponsor, and a further €14 million per annum for the naming rights to its new stadium, Stadio della Roma.

Read more …

Belgian heartbreak over Mertens and Nicot deaths

Lokeren tribute

May 12 – Belgian football is coming to terms with the tragic death of a second footballer as a result of a cardiac arrest. Two weeks after 24-year-old Lokeren central defender Gregory Mertens died in hospital after collapsing as he played in a reserve game, lower-league fullback Tim Nicot, 23, of fourth-tier Wilrijk-Beerschot, suffered a similar fate on Friday.

Read more …

CSKA’s new money struggles to deal with old tax debt

ivaylo mandzhukov

By Alexander Krassimirov
May 8 – The largest shareholder in Bulgaria’s CSKA Sofia Ivaylo Madzhukov (pictured) has admitted that the club is still threatened with bankruptcy. The new investors, however, have said they will do everything possible to prevent it. It is not yet clear whether the club will be granted a license for next season, because of the huge tax debt it owes the National Revenue Agency.

Read more …