Cameron hammered over Villa gaffe
April 27 – He is perhaps Aston Villa’s most influential self-proclaimed supporter. But at the height of an election campaign, he suddenly forgot where his allegiance lay.
Red Star-Partisan derby features stun grenades, flares and arrests
April 27 – It’s known as the ‘eternal derby’ featuring one of the most notorious rivalries in European football. And once again it has been marred by crowd trouble.
West Ham’s Olympic dreams cause new row with club neighbours
By Paul Nicholson
April 27 – The row over West Ham’s move to London’s Olympic Stadium was re-ignited last week with Charlton Athletic Supporters Trust (CAST) seeking a review of the terms of West Ham’s rental agreement at the venue.
Man Utd push deeper into China with WeChat launch
April 27 – Manchester United has expanded its social media presence in China, launching on WeChat, China’s largest and fastest growing social messaging platform.
Blatter heads for AFC talking ‘school of life’ and ‘social equality’
April 27 – Asian football chief Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa may have suffered an untimely blow over fresh revelations about his general secretary Dato’ Alex Soosay but it seems clear the claims have not affected FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s opinion of the AFC or its leader.
AFC cover-up allegations casts shadow over upcoming Bahrain Congress
By Andrew Warshaw
April 27 – Asian football has been rocked by fresh revelations that threaten to take the shine off Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa being re-elected unopposed as president of his confederation this week.
Bulgarian FA fines CSKA Sofia for swastika flag but ‘monkey’ jibes unpunished
By Alexander Krassimirov
April 27 – The disciplinary committee of the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) has punished CSKA Sofia with a fine of BGN 37,500 (€18,750) for a swastika flag which was flown by the fans during the match against Lokomotiv Sofia last weekend.
FIFA’s Olympic payments set to stagnate
By David Owen
April 26 – FIFA is probably going to have to make do with the same size of financial contribution from the Olympic Movement in 2017-20 as it is getting in the present four-year cycle, culminating with the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
World Cup lands in Northern Ireland for Shooting for Socrates premiere
April 24 – The World Cup is coming to Northern Ireland – the trophy, not the competition.
AFC scraps pre-Congress exco as power players line up for FIFA seats
By Andrew Warshaw
April 24 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), poised for a series of crucial election ballots, has scrapped its executive committee meeting scheduled for the eve of its 47-member Congress in Bahrain on April 30.
War on racism? Croatians turn on FARE for reporting racist chants…
By Mark Baber
April 24 – In the wake of UEFA sanctioning Croatia for the racist behaviour of same of their fans, the Croatian Football Federation turned on the Head of the Football against Racism in Europe (FARE) organiser in Croatia, falsely blaming him for the team having to play Italy behind closed doors. FARE have responded with an article on their website, which explores the issue in depth.
Gibraltar bring in Sportradar to deliver match-fixing workshops
April 24 – The war on match-fixing continued this week with a series of workshops delivered in Gibraltar, the home of Europe’s off-shore internet gaming industry.
Ajax poised to take control of Amsterdam ArenA
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
April 24 – Ajax Amsterdam aims to acquire a majority stake in the company operating the Amsterdam ArenA where the side plays its home matches. The Dutch club currently has 13% of the shares in the sports facility, while the municipal authorities of Amsterdam hold a 48% stake.
FIFA tells PACE to jog on as Qatar vote-collusion claims rear their ugly head
By Andrew Warshaw
April 24 – FIFA have been quick to respond to a resolution tabled by a group of European politicians calling for a re-rerun of what they describe as the “illegal” bidding process for the 2022 World Cup which has been dogged by unsubstantiated corruption claims ever since Qatar won the vote by a landslide in December 2010.
FIFPro meet EU sports chief with player transfer reform top of agenda
April 24 – The president and secretary general of the international players’ union FIFPro have met with the EU’s commissioner for Sport to re-iterate their opposition to the current transfer system.