July 18 – Switzerland boss Pia Sundhage has called the quarterfinal against Spain the biggest managerial challenge of her career yet.
By Samindra Kunti
February 6 – Francois De Keersmacker presides over an upwardly mobile Belgian football federation with a national team that will be a Euro2016 challenger. He talked exclusively to Insideworldfootball about his home front challenges, why he backed Michael van Praag, why FIFA are not “a bunch of swindlers” but need to change, and the “stomach-churning” 2018 World up bid.
February 6 – Spain and Portugal have reportedly filed a complaint to the European Commission challenging FIFA’s ban on third party ownership.
February 6 – Russia’s sports minister says no more changes can be made to stadium concepts for the 2018 World Cup in terms of reducing both the number of venues and their capacities.
February 6 – Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur has launched a Chinese language website on Chinese internet giant Netease’s web platform. The site went live in the build up to this weekend’s North London derby.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 6 – Fans of host nation Equatorial Guinea brought shame and disgrace on the Africa Cup of Nations as they forced Thursday’s semifinal to be suspended for more than 30 minutes amid scenes described as a “war zone”.
“Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command. Your old road is rapidly agein’. Please get out of the new one if you can’t lend a hand. For the times they are a-changin’.” Bob Dylan
For the past 20 years football has had a very healthy and profitable relationship with pay-tv. This will be underlined once more over the next 24 hours or so when the Premier League makes its announcement over the result of the auction it has being holding for its UK rights.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 5 – Asian football supremo Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa’s control over his huge region has been underlined with the surprise decision to hold this year’s 47-nation Asian Football Confederation congress in his native Bahrain.
By Mark Baber
February 5 – Liverpool FC announced on Wednesday that sports apparel manufacturer, New Balance would be the club’s official kit supplier from the 2015/16 football season onwards in a deal described as record-breaking.
February 5 – The English Premier League’s sale of television rights for 2016-19 will go ahead as planned after UK broadcasting watchdog Ofcom rejected complaints from cable operator Virgin Media.
February 5 – English Premier League club West Ham have been fined 100,000 Swiss francs and reprimanded by FIFA but have avoided being thrown out of the domestic FA Cup after fielding Senegalese striker Diafra Sakho just 18 days after he withdrew from his country’s Africa Cup of Nations squad.
February 5 – The referee who awarded the controversial last-gasp penalty decision that helped hosts Equatorial Guinea reach the African Nations Cup semi-finals at the expense of Tunisia has been banned for six months.
February 5 – Neymar’s controversial 2013 transfer to Barcelona is back in the spotlight with the news that Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu is to be questioned over alleged tax fraud in the signing of the Brazilian international striker.
By David Owen
February 4 – A further 80 English grass-roots football facilities are to get much-needed investment from a recently-established fund that draws on money from the Premier League, the UK Government and the Football Association (FA).
By Mark Baber
February 4 – Premier League clubs have spent an estimated £130 million in this year’s transfer window, probably equivalent to last year’s spending (based on figures for individual transfers leaked to the media) with about half the total spending accounted for by Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City.
