UEFA said that it will publish details of its top officials' pay for "the first time." The exec committee of UEFA decided on Saturday to create "a three-member compensation panel." The panel will "oversee matters linked to remuneration" of senior management, including the president and general secretary. UEFA said that "detailed information will be disclosed" in its annual accounts, published in March (AP, 7/8).
'IN DISCUSSIONS': German national team GM Oliver Bierhoff has suggested his compatriot Jürgen Klinsmann is in discussions with the FA over the vacant England head coach role and "would be a good choice." Klinsmann, who last month steered the U.S. to "a best-ever fourth-place finish at the Copa América," would fulfill the criteria stipulated by the FA. He is a World Cup and European Championship winner "who has experienced the Premier League as a player with Tottenham Hotspur, speaks excellent English and has enjoyed a fruitful career" in int'l management with the U.S. and Germany. Perhaps "most significantly he played his part in reforming the Germany national team set-up a little over a decade ago," bringing in Bierhoff as GM in '04 and helping to "kickstart a revolution based on discarding the old guard and the promotion of youth" (London GUARDIAN, 7/8).
'DIRECT THREAT': Sacked FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke made a "direct threat" to Michel Platini immediately before the former UEFA president's suspension, a sports marketing consultant alleged on Friday. Valcke was banned for 10 years over misconduct regarding TV deals and World Cup ticket sales. Benny Alon, an Israeli-American sports marketing consultant and friend of Platini's, "exposed Valcke's ticket dealings" at a press conference in Zurich in Sept. '15. He claimed that beforehand, he was told by Platini's adviser, Kevin Lamour, that he had received "a direct threat" from Valcke that if Platini "did not stop the press conference, there will be some circumstances" (AFP, 7/8).
CASE CLOSED: Liverpool and France defender Mamadou Sakho has had a doping case against him dismissed by UEFA. The 26-year-old served a provisional 30-day suspension after testing positive for a "fat burner" in March. Sakho admitted taking the substance, but UEFA "had to investigate whether it was actually prohibited." Its control, ethics and disciplinary body dismissed the case after a hearing including experts from WADA-accredited laboratories (BBC, 7/8).
