The Spanish Football League (LFP) said that it has "extended the end of the January transfer window by three days" to Feb. 1 in a bid to coincide with the timing applied in other European leagues. The league said in a statement Monday that the closing date for "the second registration period" for the '15-16 season is now set at Feb. 1 at 11:59pm local time, "thus coinciding with the time limit set in most European professional leagues" (SOCCEREX, 1/25). ... German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported the FBI "has opened a corruption investigation into the awarding of the 2006 World Cup to Germany." SZ said that it was told by "sources close to FIFA" that the FBI is concerned about a suspect payment made by the German Football Federation (DFB) to FIFA before the tournament was awarded. The payment "is also the target of a tax evasion investigation by German authorities and Swiss authorities" (AP, 1/23). ... The Asian Football Confederation has switched its Champions League schedule "to delay matches between clubs from Saudi Arabia and Iran amid diplomatic tension." The AFC said that it set a March 15 deadline for "a return to normal relations," otherwise all matches between teams from the countries "will be played at neutral venues." The governing body wants "to obtain independent evaluation on the safety and security situation" by mid-March (AP, 1/25). ... Scottish Premiership side Hamilton has "blown a hole" in the Scottish FA’s Scottish Cup plans by insisting it will not play host to East Kilbride vs. Celtic. Hampden bosses last week revealed New Douglas Park will be the venue for the Lowland team’s fifth-round tie on Feb. 7. But the Accies have "released a statement in which they spelt out their ground will not be available." They "insist their stadium has already been booked" for youth and community programs (Scotland DAILY RECORD, 1/25). ... The Bulgarian Football Union said that Litex Lovech's results for the season "have been annulled after the players walked off in protest at refereeing decisions in a match at Levski Sofia last month." Litex had already been expelled from the top flight but the BFU said that it "can play in the second division next term and in this season's Bulgarian Cup having reached the semi-finals" (REUTERS, 1/22).
