Gambian refugee scores 4 in bid to secure his Bundesliga home
July 31 – An 18-year-old asylum seeker from Gambia is the talk of German football after scoring four times in his first match as a second-half substitute for Werder Bremen.
Europe
Ludogorets follow up stadium build with training camp revamp
By Alexander Krassimirov
July 30 – Bulgarian champions Ludogorets are building for the future and have launched a new stage in the modernisation of their training facilities, just a few months after the club from Razgrad opened a new grandstand at its stadium.
Serbian MPs propose ways to combat match-fixing, including club privatisation
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
July 30 – Serbian Members of Parliament (MPs) have been discussing measures to combat match-fixing which has plagued the top tier of the country’s league. Some of the proposals put forward by local politicians include the much-awaited privatisation of state-owned clubs, introducing stricter regulations, as well as suspending the league.
Ronaldo spearheads Real push into China with Tmall Global deal
July 28 – As Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid continue to woo Chinese fans on their pre-season tour, off the field the club has signed a deal with AliBaba’s Tmall Global to use the platform to sell Ronaldo (and Real Madrid) merchandise direct to the Chinese public.
Catalonia’s nationalist boo-boys land Barca with UEFA and government fines
July 29 – Spain’s anti-violence commission has fined Barcelona €66,000 after the Catalan club’s fans booed the national anthem before the Copa del Rey final in May.
Parma reboot in Serie D fuelled by pasta magnate Barilla
By Mark Baber
July 28 – Parma Calcio 1913, a new club backed by pasta maker Guido Barilla with ex-coach Nevio Scala (pictured) as president, has been given the go-ahead by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) to compete in Italy’s Serie D following the bankruptcy of the old club.
Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Man Utd top Euro league of big spending fans
By Paul Nicholson
July 28 – English Premier League clubs on average generate almost twice as much revenue per seat than clubs in Spain. While Chelsea top the list of clubs making the most per seat from their fans at €78, compare this with Italian giants Inter Milan who make more than seven times less at €7 per seat.
CSKA fears ‘look-a-like’ as it begins long journey back to top tier
By Alexander Krassimirov
July 28 – Bulgaria’s richest man, Vasil Bozhkov (pictured), has registered a new company called ‘CSKA Sofia’, in the Bulgarian Commercial Register. Chairman of the company is Tsvetomir Naydenov, who owns bookmaker Efbet. Bozhkov and his son Anton are members of the Board.
Brussels court boots TPO, slave traders and ‘loan sharks’ into touch
By Andrew Warshaw
July 27 – UEFA and FIFA are celebrating a landmark victory in their joint fight to outlaw Third Party Ownership (TPO) after a Brussels court threw out a legal case against them launched to try and overturn the worldwide ban on the practise.
Romania’s FC Botosani unveils €18m stadium expansion
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
July 27 – Two years after the side secured a promotion to Romania’s top tier Liga I, FC Botosani unveiled the design of its new stadium which is estimated to cost about €18 million. Under the plan, the stadium will be fitted with a seating capacity of at least 11,000.
Roma’s gladiators sent back from the gates of Indonesia
July 27 – Five Roma players were refused entry into Indonesia for a pre-season game and forced to fly home.
Twente given lifeline as Eredvisie OKs debt plan and clears club to play
By Samindra Kunti
July 27 – FC Twente will start the new Eredivisie without a points deduction or any other sanctions after the Dutch FA KNVB approved the club’s new plan to further reduce its debts.
Who ate all the pies? Aberdeen battles novel avian problem
By David Owen
July 25 – Things have been going well on the field of play for Scottish club Aberdeen of late, a second place finish in the Scottish Premiership last season entitling them to a slot in the qualifying phase of the 2015-16 Europa League.
UEFA give Croatia Euro 2016 lifeline with soft sanction for swastika offence
July 24 – Croatia have been let off the hook and avoided being thrown out of Euro 2016 qualifying for racial discrimination, much to the relief of the entire country after the prime minister personally pleaded with UEFA president Michel Platini to show leniency.
Bulgarian clubs fined in match-fixing clampdown
By Alexander Krassimirov
July 23 – Bulgaria’s Marek Dupnitsa have been fined BGN 210,000 (€105,000) by the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) disciplinary committee for match-fixing. The steep fine, in Bulgarian terms, is a hard hit for the club which was relegated from the top flight last season.