The England squad is "ready to give up" its passports next summer as a gesture of support for Manager Roy Hodgson's "new-look preparations for Euro 2016." The FA plan is "effectively to extend the season through to the European Championship in France," playing a series of warm-up matches on home soil, rather than give the players a "sunshine break at the end of a hectic campaign." Volunteering to give up their passports is a sign that the players, led by captain Wayne Rooney, are "willing to buy into the new ideas" (LONDON TIMES, 11/19). ... Saturday's Real Madrid-Barcelona Clásico at the Santiago Bernabéu "will have the most security personnel for a sporting event in Madrid history." In Spain's history, only the 1992 Barcelona Olympics compare to "everything being prepared to ensure the security of the 80,000 fans who will attend the game." In addition to 1,000 national police officers, Real Madrid will provide 1,400 additional private security forces -- including volunteers and professionals -- as the organizer of the event (MARCA, 11/19). ... High-profile foreign footballers "could become even rarer in Russia" after Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said on Thursday that politicians were "seeking to ban state monopolies from bankrolling such acquisitions." Mutko: "The Russian State Duma will introduce this draft law into professional sport to make sure that state monopolies do not spend their money on buying foreign players. The priority should be farm clubs and youth clubs" (REUTERS, 11/19). ... Former Brazilian footballer Ronaldo and his Ronaldo Academy agreed to cooperate with Ali sports group, which is majority-owned by Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba Group. The two sides will "collaborate on multiple levels" in the football promotion in China, providing high-level training for Chinese teenagers and exploring Rio Games-themed sports tourism products (XINHUA, 11/18).
