Environmental activists in the Russian city of Kazan said Wednesday that they were detained by police as they planned a protest before the Confederations Cup draw. Iskander Yaseveyev, an academic and environmental campaigner, said that he and six others "were stopped by police ahead of the draw last Saturday, and held for three hours until the event was over." Yaseveyev said that police from a counter-extremism unit approached him and "asked him to come with them for a talk, and when he refused, they called colleagues who detained him" because they said he resembled a wanted criminal (AP, 11/30).
Japan has renewed its memorandum of understanding with the UAE, which is "aimed at enhancing exchanges" related to football, the countries' FAs said. Japan FA President Kozo Tashima and UAE FA President Marwan bin Ghalita signed the partnership, which was originally agreed to last year, ahead of the Asian Football Confederation Awards (KYODO, 12/1).
EPL side Swansea City Manager Bob Bradley said on Thursday that he was confident the team "would have money to spend in January following positive talks with the board." Despite last weekend's 5-4 win over Crystal Palace, Swansea remains "second-bottom in the table on nine points after 13 games." Bradley: "We are in the middle of the road, we have identified players and are trying to identify more" (REUTERS, 12/1).
Malaysia’s national football team canceled two friendly U22 matches with Myanmar, in protest against the Southeast Asian nation’s "bloody crackdown on ethnic Rohingya Muslims," a team spokespserson said on Thursday. Muslim-majority Malaysia has been "increasingly critical of Myanmar’s handling of violence in northern Rakhine State that has sent hundreds of people fleeing across the border to Bangladesh." The violence is "the most serious bloodshed" in Rakhine since communal clashes in '12 that killed hundreds (REUTERS, 12/1).