Football
Complainant defends EC’s Spanish football probe
The European Commission’s investigation into state support for Spanish football clubs is not part of a jealous witch hunt against the country, according to one of the complainants.
Japanese FA changes strategy for Women’s World Cup bid
The Japanese Football Association (JFA) has announced it will refocus on bidding for the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup after initially targeting the 2019 event, according to the Kyodo News agency.
Beijing to host LFP’s 2014 Trophée des Champions
The French Football League (LFP) has announced that Beijing will host the 2014 edition of the Trophée des Champions, which acts as the traditional curtain-raiser to the domestic season.
Vanishing spray to make a mark at 2014 World Cup
Fifa has announced that a vanishing spray currently being used at the Club World Cup to mark out distances for free kicks will also be used for Brazil’s staging of the 2014 World Cup.
RFEF drops Barcelona and Valencia from Euro 2020 bid
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has narrowed its list of candidate cities for its Uefa Euro 2020 bid by announcing it will put forward Bilbao and Madrid for consideration.
Monaco to display Twitter handle on club shirt
Leading French Ligue 1 football club AS Monaco has announced that it will grant its official Twitter handle branding space on its shirt.
Work resumes at Manaus’ World Cup venue
Work has resumed on Manaus’ stadium for the 2014 Fifa World Cup following a fatal accident at the venue on Saturday.
Brussels confirms details of Spanish football investigation
The European Commission has opened a three-pronged investigation into allegations that several Spanish Liga football clubs, including Real Madrid and Barcelona, benefited unfairly from state support.
Beckham’s MLS franchise bid receives boost
David Beckham has received a boost in his bid to bring a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise to Miami after Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez was given the green light to begin negotiations on a new privately funded stadium.
Organisers defend safety measures at World Cup venues
Brazil’s 2014 Fifa World Cup organisers have denied they are cutting corners on safety standards in a rush to deliver the stadiums for next year’s tournament.
Global footballers’ union threatens legal action over transfer system
FIFPro, the worldwide union for professional footballers, has threatened to shake up the global transfer system by launching a legal challenge against the current set-up.
Milan legend Gattuso under investigation in ‘Last Bet’ scandal
Former AC Milan star and Italy midfielder Gennaro Gattuso was placed under investigation today as part of the latest development in Italian football’s long-running ‘Last Bet’ match-fixing scandal.
Brussels targets Spanish clubs over state aid
The European Commission is to launch disciplinary proceedings against seven Spanish football clubs, including Barcelona and Real Madrid, over allegations of benefiting from favourable financial treatment from the state.
Monaco set to avoid ‘super tax’ after u-turn
The French government has suppressed an amendment that would have forced top-tier Ligue 1 club Monaco to fall in line with the country’s so-called new ‘super tax’ on salaries exceeding €1m ($1.4m).
Monaco set to pay ‘super tax’
Monaco is set to be forced to pay a so-called ‘super tax’ on its player salaries after France’s National Assembly voted to include the Ligue 1 football club in the country’s tax regime.
Uefa calls for uniform approach to combating match-fixing
Uefa, European football’s governing body, has called for consistent punishments against match-fixing across the continent and has outlined an 11-point plan to help implement this target.
Fifa set to limit investments in football player rights
Fifa, football’s world governing body, is set to support the notion that investors can acquire players’ transfer rights in some cases, according to the Bloomberg news agency.