Football
Uefa delegates hit out at Blatter
Greg Dyke and Michael van Praag, the heads of football’s English and Dutch national associations, spoke out against Sepp Blatter’s leadership of world governing body Fifa as the Swiss faced a tense meeting with delegates of European governing body Uefa yesterday (Tuesday).
Rousseff and Fifa counter criticism of World Cup spending
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has moved to defend spending on preparations for the 2014 World Cup, while Fifa has denied that it is making major revenues from the football showpiece at the expense of the Brazilian people.
Miami rejects Beckham’s MLS stadium proposal
David Beckham’s plans to bring a Major League Soccer franchise to Miami have suffered a major setback after the city’s mayor rejected plans to build a downtown waterfront stadium.
AFC makes key statute change
Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has strengthened his position after the AFC’s Extraordinary Congress voted to merge the region’s presidency with the Fifa vice-presidency.
Blatter hits out at ‘storm against Fifa’ over Qatar 2022 allegations
Fifa president Sepp Blatter has bemoaned what he described as a “storm against Fifa” over the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.
Fifa sponsors enter debate over World Cup allegations
Fifa’s commercial partners have waded into the debate over the governing body’s handling of the bidding process that led to the award of the hosting rights for football’s 2022 World Cup to Qatar.
Uefa bans Red Star, Turkish clubs from Europe
Serbian football club Red Star Belgrade has been banned from participating in the Uefa Champions League next season, while two Turkish clubs have also been barred from competing in the Europa League.
Valencia seals Bankia debt deal as Malaga faces uncertain future
Singapore businessman Peter Lim, the new owner of Spanish Liga football team Valencia, has struck a deal with national banking conglomerate Bankia to restructure the club’s substantial debts, while La Liga rival Malaga is facing fresh uncertainty over its ownership.
Qatar 2022 furore based on ‘racist actions’ – OCA president
Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) president Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah has lashed out at the allegations of corruption surrounding the award of the 2022 Fifa World Cup to Qatar by claiming they are evidence of “racist actions” towards the country and Arabs in general.
World Cup should be in fewer cities – Rio Mayor
Eduardo Paes, the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, has claimed that organisers of the 2014 Fifa World Cup international football tournament have made a mistake by planning to stage matches in 12 different cities.
Cagliari to remain Italian-owned as Cellino backs out of US deal
Serie A football club Cagliari is set to remain in Italian hands after owner Massimo Cellino announced he had struck a preliminary agreement to sell the team to businessman Tommaso Giulini.
E-commerce giant Alibaba takes stake in Guangzhou Evergrande
Alibaba, China’s largest e-commerce company, has struck a deal to acquire 50 per cent of the country’s Guangzhou Evergrande football club.
English clubs set revenue record, but Bundesliga teams remain most profitable
English Premier League clubs’ total revenues reached a record £2.53bn (€3.10bn/$4.23bn), but the German Bundesliga remained Europe’s most profitable football league in 2012-13, according to the latest Annual Review of Football Finance by the Sports Business Group at financial services company Deloitte.
Melbourne Heart unveils new name
Australian A-League football club Melbourne Heart has been renamed Melbourne City FC.
Judge calls Barcelona, Rosell to court over Neymar case
Barcelona and the Spanish top-tier Liga football club’s former president, Sandro Rosell, have been summoned by a judge to give evidence in court over the tax evasion scandal surrounding the signing of Brazilian superstar Neymar.
Platini hits out over Qatar World Cup claims
Uefa president Michel Platini has claimed attempts are being made to “tarnish” his reputation by linking him to the corruption allegations surrounding Qatar’s successful bid to host the 2022 Fifa World Cup national team football tournament.
Earthquakes and 49ers join forces in landmark partnership
Major League Soccer franchise San Jose Earthquakes and NFL American football team San Francisco 49ers have entered into a five-year partnership designed to promote the South Bay region as a host of elite soccer events.