August 7 – Manchester City FC have signed Nexen Tire, the leading South Korean tyre and tubing brand, as the Club’s Official Tyre Partner. The club is the latest to announce a tyre manufacturer as a major sponsor – Yokohama recently took over as Chelsea’s shirt sponsor in an estimated £200 million five year deal.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 7 – The early race to replace Sepp Blatter as FIFA president has taken a potentially significant twist with the African Football Confederation (AFC) refusing to endorse the candidacy of Liberia’s Musa Bility (pictured) who says he wants to stand along with UEFA boss Michel Platini.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 6 – The Europa League may be the poorer sister of the Champions League but before it is has even got into its stride this season, UEFA’s number two club competition is splitting opinion about whether it worth prioritising – and not just among fans.
By Mark Baber
August 6 – The Football Supporters Federation (FSF) has welcomed an announcement by Virgin Trains that they will be a launching a pilot scheme to provide train services tailored for Sunderland and Newcastle fans.
By Alexander Krassimirov
August 6 – While one of Bulgaria’s leading clubs from Sofia, CSKA, is busy apologising for the behaviour of its fans at the weekend, the other, Levski Sofia, is busy signing a new major club sponsor for the coming season.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 6 – With the new Premier League season getting under way this weekend and attention again focussed partly on the number of foreign stars involved, the tournament’s chief executive Richard Scudamore has again re-iterated his opposition to introducing quotas.
August 6 – The growing importance and wealth of the Chinese market has been underlined by a deal to broadcast Spanish matches in some 300 cities from this season.
By David Owen
August 6 – 2022 FIFA World Cup host Qatar has acquired another of the trappings of a top sporting nation, with news that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has this week approved the accreditation of the Doha laboratory for anti-doping analysis.
August 6 – The TV bidding war between Sky Sports and BT Sport has been ratcheted up a notch with the former announcing it has renewed live coverage of Spain’s La Liga for the next three seasons.
By Paul Nicholson
August 6 – Barcelona published their 2014/15 financial statement showing revenue of €608 million, the largest ever by any sporting club. But this is peanuts as by 2021 the club says it will grow revenue to more than €1 billion annually. Football Benchmark, the data and analysis arm of KPMG’s sports practice, says this isn’t just idle talk.
By Paul Nicholson
August 6 – Yet another betting company club sponsorship deal has been announced in the English Premier League. This time it is the turn of Manchester United who have unveiled a multi-year deal with Marathonbet who will become the Club’s Official Global Betting Partner, excluding China and the US.
August 5 – A Brazilian council official is proposing creating a ‘Goal to Germany’ day every July to make the national team remember their humiliating 7-1 World Cup defeat last year.
By Mark Baber
August 5 – The Gulf Cup of Nations (also known controversially as the ‘Arabian Gulf Cup’) has been postponed for a year, officially due to the host Kuwait needing time to complete their infrastructural preparations, but perhaps also due to the fact that five of the usual participants have been bombing one of the others since March of this year.
By Samindra Kunti
August 5 – Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff (pictured) may veto medida provisoria 671 that will allow for the refinancing of Brazilians clubs’s debts, but implements new rules for better management and more transparency.
August 5 – UEFA have awarded Legia Warsaw a 3-0 victory in their Europa League match away to FK Kukesi that was abandoned after one of their players was hit by a stone thrown from the crowd.