Football mourns the loss of Spanish history maker, Luis Aragones
February 3 – Tributes have poured in from around the world for Luis Aragones, the man who ended Spain’s 44-year wait for a major international trophy by winning Euro 2008.
Europe
Leeds turmoil as in-coming Cellino fires manager before deal completes
By Andrew Warshaw
February 3 – First he was the manager, then he wasn’t, then he was again: all within 24 hours. The mayhem surrounding the prospective Italian takeover of iconic English club Leeds United took several farcical twists over the weekend when Brian McDermott was re-instated by the club’s directors after seemingly being sacked.
Genoa derby switched to evening kick-off after fans protest
February 3 – The Genoa derby, one of the most passionate in Italian football, will take place tonight after its original lunchtime kick-off on Sunday was called off when fans threatened to boycott the game in protest of a switch from the traditional afternoon start to accommodate television schedules.
BT scores with market as Sky Sports viewing hits highest level for six years
By David Owen
January 31 – The market continues to applaud BT’s high-profile push into sports broadcasting, in spite of the impact its strategy is having on costs both in its retail division and at rival Premier League broadcaster British Sky Broadcasting.
BETFUZE launches crowdsourcing app for sports bets
By Paul Nicholson
January 31 – A new app using crowdsourced insights into betting patterns has been launched for iPads. BETFUZE, a London-based technology driven business, has developed the app as a tool for sports betting.
Leeds sale falls through with other buyers rumoured to be in the wings
January 31 – The management-led buyout of English Chamoionship club Leeds United has fallen apart with the incoming consortium Sport Capital, headed by Leeds managing director David Haigh, failing to conclude a deal to buy 75% of the club from Bahrain-based investment bank GFH Capital.
Exclusive: Rosell relieved of all roles at ECA and UEFA
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
January 31 – Former Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has been forced to relinquish all his roles within the European Club Association following his decision to quit the Catalan giants. Rosell, who played a key role in promoting the interests of more than 200 clubs, is no longer taking part in any decision making at the ECA and has left a huge gap in ongoing club-versus-country negotiations with FIFA and UEFA.
Copa del Rey quarter final abandoned at kick off after players protest unpaid wages
By Andrew Warshaw
January 31 – In one of the starkest examples of the financial crisis enveloping Spanish football below elite level, the Copa del Rey quarterfinal between Racing Santander and Real Sociedad was abandoned when the Santander players went on strike because of unpaid wages.
Legia Warsaw’s fan-building ad campaign sparks controversy
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
January 30 – In a bid to increase the club’s following in various parts of Poland, Legia Warsaw has launched a countrywide advertising campaign employing billboards, press and the internet. But the campaign may have backfired after fans of other clubs took insult at the ads appearing in the their cities.
Italy’s Nocerina face life in lower divisions after sporting fraud sanction
By Andrew Warshaw
January 30 – The Italian football federation has kicked third division club Nocerina out of the division as punishment for their players faking injury.
Turkish police arrest more fans after anti-government match-day protests
By Alexander Krassimirov
January 30 – Seven Fenerbahce fans were detained following their teams’ Spor Toto Super League game against Konyaspor on 27 January. More than a dozen fans were taken to the police office in the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium after the game. After interviews, police detained seven of the fans, taking them to a nearby police station.
Bundesliga model breaks revenue records as top clubs move into black
By Andrew Warshaw
January 29 – The English Premier League maybe the most watched televised league globally but German football is still the best attended and continues to set an example when it comes to economic stability and collective responsibility.
Polish legend Boniek recruited to Ekstraklasa board
By Paul Nicholson
January 29 – The President of the Polish Football Association, Zbigniew Boniek, has joined the Supervisory board of Poland’s Ekstraklasa, the country’s top league.
No opportunity lost, Platini keeps AARs in view
January 28 – UEFA boss Michel Platini has taken another opportunity to promote his preferred system of additional assistant referees (AARs) to help with contentious calls.
Russia and Georgia to end stand-off if drawn in same 2016 group
January 28 – Russia and Georgia have agreed to end their footballing stand-off and play each other if paired together in next month’s draw for the Euro 2016 qualifying tournament.