Here are some of the top stories from last week in the global soccer industry…
Soccer to Reach Height of Popularity in U.S. with Busy Summer Schedule (Business of Soccer)
If there is any season for soccer to shine in the United States, it’s summer. This summer in particular may just be the perfect storm for soccer to enter the periphery of non-soccer fans in America. There are several factors that are helping the sport grow this summer and it certainly did not happen overnight. Stadiums are filling up this summer season thanks to the planning and efforts of US Soccer and other soccer organizations.
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UEFA President Gives Best Player Lowdown (FC Business)
UEFA President, Michel Platini explains the process behind the Best Player(s) in Europe Awards as well as giving his opinion on matters away from the field.
How do you view the Best Player award and the past season?
It was important that we had a European prize and it was nice to be linked with ESM, because you [represent]journalists from all over Europe, and come together to vote on the best players.
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FIFA Retains Strategic Communications Firm Teneo Holdings (Soccerex)
Fifa has retained corporate advisory and strategic communications firm Teneo Holdings.
The embattled governing body, which is in flux following the fallout from several arrests of its senior officials on corruption charges, has confirmed it has hired Teneo, but no further details on the company’s role have been revealed.
Fifa’s own in-house director of communications, Walter De Gregorio, quit in June to be replaced on a temporary basis by Nicolas Maingot.
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U.S. Senators Call for Reforms of U.S. Soccer Body at FIFA Corruption Hearing (Reuters)
U.S. senators on Wednesday called for extensive reforms in the way soccer is run by both international and U.S. governing bodies, and questioned what current U.S. soccer chiefs knew about corruption in the global organization FIFA.
“The facts show there had to be either wilful ignorance or blatant incompetence on behalf of many of the members of this organization – that’s true of U.S. Soccer as well,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the top Democrat on the Senate commerce subcommittee at a hearing it held on Wednesday to examine alleged corruption in FIFA and related soccer bodies.
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U.S. Marketing Executive in Plea Talks Over FIFA, U.S. Says (Bloomberg)
One of five marketing executives charged alongside nine soccer officials in a U.S. corruption probe of FIFA is negotiating a plea deal, according to a Justice Department filing.
Aaron Davidson, 44, former president of Traffic Sports USA Inc., a subsidiary of Sao Paulo-based Traffic Group, is “actively engaged in plea negotiations,” according to a letter filed Thursday in federal court in Brooklyn, New York.
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Bolivia Soccer Chief Jailed on Fraud, Enrichment Charges (Yahoo!)
The jailed president of Bolivia’s soccer federation could face trial on fraud and illicit enrichment charges in connection with the alleged disappearance of funds from a charity game, officials said Saturday.
Carlos Chavez is suspected of diverting funds from the more than $400,000 raised in a friendly April 2013 match the national team played against Brazil to raise money for the family of a fan who died during an earlier match, according to prosecutors.
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One Stadium Site to Unite Them All (Northern Pitch)
The proposed “Bus Barn” stadium site could be a huge breakthrough for Minnesota United FC, Major League Soccer, and the city of Saint Paul. After months of incremental movement in the campaign to build a soccer specific stadium in Minneapolis, the entire plot was flipped this past week thanks to the sudden entrance of a familiar character—Saint Paul.
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David Beckham Picks Stadium Site Next to Marlins Park (Miami Herald)
David Beckham and his investors plan to start negotiations with Miami to build a soccer stadium on city land next to Marlins Park, rejecting past concerns about a site they now see as having the potential to be a thriving entertainment district.
The University of Miami is not part of the plan, though Beckham partner Marcelo Claure said talks with the college continue to build a big enough stadium to house its football team as well as Major League Soccer.
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Jeffrey Webb Pleads Not Guilty to Racketeering in U.S. Federal Court (ESPN FC)
Former top FIFA official Jeffrey Webb pleaded not guilty on Saturday to racketeering and bribery charges in a corruption case aimed at world football’s governing body that has sent shock waves through the sport.
Webb posted a $10 million bond at his arraignment in federal court. He surrendered three passports — two from the United Kingdom and one from the Cayman Islands — and will be required to wear an electronic monitoring device as a condition of his release.
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Coca-Cola Tells FIFA to Start Independent Reform Commission (Boston Herald)
FIFA has been told by sponsor Coca-Cola to appoint an independent commission to lead a reform process aimed at cleaning up world soccer’s scandal-ridden governing body.
In the most significant intervention by a company which helps to bankroll world soccer, the soft drinks giant said Friday that it formally asked FIFA to allow “one or more eminent, impartial leaders” to explore how the organization can regain its credibility and the trust of fans.
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This article originally appeared on Business of Soccer. To learn more about BOS you can follow them on Facebook or Twitter.
