UEFA "broke no rules when it sent a multimillion dollar loan for a betting company investment" by the Slovenian Football Federation, according to a document. The €4M deal in June '15 -- which a UEFA report says was "granted in real exception" -- has been scrutinized because it was "signed off by then-UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino and then-Slovenian football president Aleksander Ceferin." A Norwegian magazine reported that FIFA ethics prosecutors are "investigating Infantino's part in the loan." The inquiry report concluded that UEFA and the Slovenian federation "respected the relevant provisions and conditions" of granting loans to members (AP, 10/26).
La Liga side Athletic Bilbao CEO Javier Aldazabal has accused Atlético Madrid of "appropriating" its brand over a century ago. Atlético was founded in 1903 by three Basque students living in Madrid who "wanted to form a youth branch" of their favorite club, Athletic Bilbao. However, Aldazabal "shocked the Basque club's AGM by hitting out" at Los Rojiblancos "stealing" their identity. He said, "Athletic is a brand. These days it would be unthinkable that someone came along and called themselves Coca-Cola of the Basque country, or that they swiped someone else’s name, as is what happened 100 years ago when [Atlético Madrid] usurped our colors, name and badge" (FOOTBALL ESPANA, 10/26).