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New chair of FIFA’s independent governance committee appointed
Mark Pieth, a professor in criminal law at the University of Basle, has been appointed to chair FIFA’s independent governance committee. Pieth has announced a raft of proposals but admitted that some members will not like his plans for change.
Football League in fight over football creditors’ rule
Lawyers representing HMRC told Mr Justice David Richards that the ‘football creditors’ rule’, which gives priority to ‘football debts’, is unfair. The judge, sitting at the high court in London, heard the rule meant that creditors from the football world were given preferential treatment when clubs entered financial difficulties.
Olympic Stadium to have naming rights branding post 2012?
The Olympic Park Legacy Company are looking to raise about £10m a year in naming rights for the three main arenas in Stratford after the 2012 Games reports The Daily Mail.
Rooney wins legal victory against Proactive
Wayne Rooney has said he is ‘delighted’ after claiming victory in the latest round of a legal fight with his former management firm. Proactive claimed it was owed commission payments amounting to £4.3m.
Italian footballers asked to help tackle country’s debt
Italian footballers are being encouraged to buy government bonds amid uncertainty on the Italian financial markets. Italy’s highly paid players have joined a patriotic, grassroots campaign to buy-up Italian government bonds as foreign investors reduce their exposure on fears of an Italian default.
Craig Whyte reveals Rangers’ debt has been cut in half
Rangers FC owner Craig Whyte has signed off the first set of financial results since he took control in May, with the results showing net debt has been almost halved to £14m.
Boardroom chaos may see Johan Cruyff leave Ajax
Johan Cruyff could leave his role as a member of the supervisory board at Ajax after the Members’ Council advised the board to resign following various recent disputes involving club icon Cruyff.
Man City top Premier League list of agent’ fees
Manchester City were the biggest spenders on agents’ fees over the past year with £9.66m going to player representatives, Spurs were second, committing £7.57m and Liverpool third with an £7m outlay. The £71.87m total spent by the clubs between 1 October 2010 and 30 September is the highest since the Premier League first published the figures in 2008.
Blackburn owners face pressure from Barclays Bank
Owing at least £21m to Barclays, Venky’s agreed to a debt reduction when they took control at Ewood Park. A year later that has not happened, The Daily Telegraph reports. The bank has now demanded additional security against its loans as the club face possible relegation. Also this week, the leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council has said she is seeking an urgent meeting with the Venky’s to discuss concerns over the running of the club.
Rangers scouting possible Corinthians tie-up
Rangers are exploring the potential of a formal relationship with the Brazilian club, Corinthians reports The Herald. Gordon Smith, the Ibrox side’s director of football, is currently part of a trade delegation visiting the South American country and has already been involved in talks with team officials.
QPR owner eyeing new stadium move
Queens Park Rangers are looking for sites for a potential new stadium in west London, the club’s owner Tony Fernandes has revealed. Fernandes says he believes the club can attract a fan base of up to 45,000.
Pompey fear points deduction
The Football League board will decide whether Portsmouth will be docked 10 points after it was announced this week that Pompey’s parent company Convers Sports Initiatives (CSI) had gone into administration. Mike Hancock, the Portsmouth South MP, described the situation as ‘a complete and utter disaster’ for the club and questioned the League’s ‘fit and proper persons’ test.
Reading FC and Bristol City both announce losses
Reading FC lost £5.3m last year, against a profit of £1.4m in the previous financial year. Owner Sir John Madejski’s loan to the club now stands at £26.3m. Bristol City also announced losses amounting to £11.45m for the year ending May 2011, which comes after record losses of £11.8m in 2010 and £6.5m in 2009. The losses have been put down to rising player wages and delays in the development of their new stadium.
AMERICAS
US line-up friendlies in January
The US men’s national team’s preparations for World Cup qualifying will start with two friendlies against Venezuela on January 21 in Arizona and Panama City on January 25. The games do not fall on international fixture dates, meaning the teams will largely be made up of domestic-based players.
Red Bull Arena takes first place
The annual sports facilities survey by Sports Business Journal saw Red Bull Arena voted the best soccer specific stadium in MLS. The New Jersey venue took 23% of the vote, beating Kansas City Wizards’ LiveStrong Sporting Park into second and the Home Depot Center in LA into third.
Fan petition urges US Soccer to sanction 5-team WPS
Over 3,000 people have now signed a petition urging US Soccer to accept a five team WPS league. US Soccer requires the league to have six teams in place by the 12 December for the 2012 season.
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