By Andrew Warshaw
August 6 – Fallen Scottish giants Rangers are once again embroiled in turmoil after chairman Walter Smith quit less than a week before the start of the new league season describing the boardroom as “highly dysfunctional” and lacking integrity.
August 6 – FIFA have been quick to allay fears of a drugs problem in Turkish football following the announcement by the Turkish Athletics Association that 31 athletes have been banned for two years for doping violations.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 4 – Israeli and Palestinian leaders have hailed Barcelona’s “peace tour” to the region as a vitally symbolic breakthrough but the visit also highlighted the deep-rooted distrust as Palestinian FA boss Jibril Rajoub, not for the first time, denounced Israel’s conduct towards his country’s athletes.
By Alexander Krassimirov
August 4 – The new governing and executive body of Bulgarian clubs CSKA Sofia has kept its promise and revealed the monthly salaries of the team’s players and coaching staff. CSKA is the first club in Bulgaria to disclose the salaries of its employees to the public.
August 2 – The Italian football federation has banned Lazio captain Stefano Mauri (pictured) for six months for his part in the 2011 Italian match-fixing scandal.
August 2 – The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) has been accepted as a member of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) Consultative Committee.
By Mark Baber
August 2 – Italy’s first black government minister Cécile Kyenge has likened the racism she has received – she recently had bananas thrown at her – to the racism that Mario Balotelli has received, saying that “a multi-ethnic nation is both inevitable and natural.”
By David Owen
July 31 – The company that promotes the Tour de France bicycle race has been appointed an authorised sales agent for official 2014 FIFA World Cup hospitality packages in Belgium and Luxemburg.
By Mark Baber
July 31 – Dinamo Zagreb have been fined €25,000 and ordered to close the east section of their stadium for their European home game against FC Sheriff for their fans’ racist chanting during a recent qualifier against Luxembourg’s CS Fola Esch.
By Mark Baber
July 31 – Gordon Taylor, of the Professional Footballers’ Association, speaking at an event to celebrate the first goal in the Football League scored by Kenny Davenport 125 years ago, argued football is in danger of “losing its soul” due to an overemphasis on money.
July 30 – Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has been formally charged with tax evasion by German prosecutors today. The high profile tax evasion case that has become a political football in Germany in election year, is refusing to be settled quietly. A statement by the Superior Court in Munich said that the decision on whether to go to trial will take place at the end of September. Hoeness’ legal advisors had asked for a month to respond to the charges.
July 30 – UEFA has launched a charity ticket auction for 20 Category 1 UEFA Super Cup tickets for the match between FC Bayern München and Chelsea FC at the Stadion Eden in Prague, August 30.
By Mark Baber
July 30 – Kick It Out, a campaign is supported and funded by the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), the Premier League and The Football Association to encourage equality and inclusion has today launched a new free mobile app which allows players and fans to directly report racist or homophobic abuse to Kick It Out which will then follow up with football authorities and if necessary the police.
July 30 – Crisis Scottish club Hearts are teetering on the brink just days before the start of the domestic season while a fans group are attempting to save another Scottish club Dunfermline Athletic.
July 29 – Europol is spreading its football wings and has announced today it is to conduct an investigation into alleged football match fixing by the Russian mafia. The investigation will also look at organised crime groups in the Balkans. Rob Wainwright, the head of the EU police intelligence agency, told the Sunday Times said that in addition to the 380 matches that have been investigated since February, a further 300 were now considered suspicious.