Here are some of last week’s top stories from around the global soccer industry…
Scala Unveils Wide-Reaching FIFA Reform Plan (Reuters)
FIFA reformer Domenico Scala went public with his proposals to clean up soccer’s governing body on Thursday, proposing term limits, tougher integrity checks on officials and fewer committees as part of a far-reaching eight-point plan.
Scala, head of FIFA’s audit and compliance committee, proposed limiting officials to a maximum of 12-years in office, publishing their football-related earnings and changing the way in which the all-powerful executive committee is elected.
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TIM Serie A Attendance: Gamedays 1 & 2 (Business of Soccer)
Tim Serie A’s opening day was as much cause for concern as last year’s turbulent revelations. With teams suffering the threat of financial fair play sanctions, match-fixing scandals amongst Serie B sides, and declining attendance, the 2014/2015 season did not give much hope to Italy’s top league. But sleeping giants lie ready to awaken; with the infusion of experienced ownership with plans to revive teams in trouble and build a foundation for squads with a rich history, the new season gives fans at least a glimmer of hope that perhaps this year will be that “next year” they’ve always looked to.
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Figure at Center of FIFA Scandal Selling Team to Pay U.S. Fines (Bloomberg)
A figure at the center of the FIFA scandal is selling a Portuguese soccer team to help raise $126 million owed to U.S. authorities.
Jose Hawilla’s Traffic Sports marketing firm is selling Estoril Praia, a second-tier team it bought five years ago and turned into a profitable player-trading factory. Hawilla, for two decades one of the biggest businessman in Latin American sports, admitted he was at the heart of graft schemes that saw millions of dollars in bribes paid to soccer officials in return for lucrative sponsorships and television rights.
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Premier League Partners Up with Friend MTS (Soccerex)
The English Premier League has appointed Friend MTS to enhance the protection of its live broadcasts worldwide. Friend MTS, a Birmingham-based content and platform security firm, will assist the Premier League in the protection of live streams on OTT and TV Everywhere services. Through its global internet monitoring system and network forensics capability, Friend MTS will identify where security weaknesses are being exploited and notify the league.
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Saturday Soccer Challenged by Religious Players in Israel (NBC)
The clash between secular and Jewish observers in Israel continues to grow, and has now extended to the sports field. Saturday soccer, a century-old tradition in the country, is under threat.
Here in the Holy Land the weekend is short, consisting of only one day, the Sabbath – a holy day of rest. It begins at sunset on Friday and ends Saturday evening.
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U.S. Soccer Answers to Senate Over Youth Club Compensation Dispute (Sports Illustrated)
After its initial hearing with U.S. Soccer about cleaning up the game, the U.S. Senate turned its attention to American youth clubs’ quest for solidarity payments this week. U.S. Soccer had not responded publicly to the issue yet, but the federation had to answer in writing to the questions submitted by Senator Maria Cantwell (D., Washington).
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Prince Ali to Make Another Run at FIFA Presidency (Wall Street Journal)
Prince Ali bin al Hussein, the man who lost the race for the presidency of soccer’s world governing body to Sepp Blatter in May, announced on Wednesday that he will make another run at FIFA’s top job in next year’s election.
A 39-year-old former member of FIFA’s executive committee from Jordan, Prince Ali said that he was treated as “a pawn for others” last spring, a not-so-veiled reference to the European soccer power-brokers who backed him in May.
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Matildas Boycott US Tour as They Call Foul on Gender Pay Gap (CNBC)
They thrilled the nation during this summer’s soccer World Cup but the Australian women’s soccer team have this week hung up their kit over a pay dispute.
The team, nicknamed the Matildas, have boycotted a tour to the U.S. in revolt over their pay and conditions, which are a fraction of those enjoyed by their male counterparts, the Socceroos, who they consistently outperform in global competitions.
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CONCACAF Confirms Ongoing Efforts to Host Copa America Centenario in US, “Hopeful” for Progress (Major League Soccer)
Following CONMEBOL President Juan Angel Napout’s Friday pronouncement that next year’s Copa America Centenario will remain in the United States, CONCACAF released the following statement Saturday afternoon:
“We are continuing to work with CONMEBOL, the US Soccer Federation and all other stakeholders on hosting the Copa America Centenario tournament in the United States. CONCACAF is committed to continue working with all parties to address the operational, format and financial issues relating to the tournament in order to ensure greater transparency to this event.”
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Sepp Blatter Under Pressure Over World Cup TV Rights Links to Jack Warner (the guardian)
Sepp Blatter
is under renewed pressure after it emerged he awarded World Cup television rights for a fraction of their true value to Jack Warner, on which the disgraced former Fifa executive then made an £11m profit.
The publication of a contract bearing the outgoing Fifa president’s signature draws him closer into the web of continuing investigations and further calls into question his links with Warner, who served on the executive committee of world football’s governing body for 28 years.
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This article originally appeared on Business of Soccer. To learn more about BOS you can follow them on Twitter or Facebook.
