Tuesday's Copa del Rey match between Barcelona and Atlético Madrid at Camp Nou drew a crowd of "only" 67,734 fans. Camp Nou's official capacity is 99,354, "meaning there were exactly 31,620 empty seats." It is "madness considering the significance of Tuesday's game" (EL CONFIDENCIAL, 2/7).
There is "growing disillusionment at a number of London Premier League clubs over the Metropolitan Police's handling of their investigation into allegations of historic child sex abuse." Concerns have been "raised by top-flight officials in the capital" over the way the force has dealt with the probe, with "serious issues over a perceived lack of communication." The Met Police released a statement late last month which stated that "five Premier League clubs" had been named by potential victims. At least one had not been made aware that allegations had been made against them, while a line was later added to the statement pointing out that "some of complaints were for physical rather than sexual abuse" (London DAILY MAIL, 2/7).
England will play Germany "three times in less than two years" after the FA reached an agreement with its German counterpart to host the world champions at Wembley Stadium in November. Gareth Southgate's first match since being appointed England manager on a permanent basis will be a friendly against Germany in Dortmund on March 22. A return fixture against Joachim Löw's side has "been arranged for this autumn, on the proviso that neither nation is involved" in the 2018 World Cup qualification playoffs. England played Germany in Berlin in March last year (LONDON TIMES, 2/8).
The "various charges" against Superleague Greece side Olympiacos Owner Evangelos Marinakis -- some legally and others "through the media" -- are "rapidly dropping away one by one." The latest charge to be reversed "was by the Greek Administrative Court of Appeal in support of the positions of Olympiacos and Marinakis." The court's verdict annulled a decision made by the Committee of Professional Sports in a ruling dated May 11, 2015, which imposed a $200,000 fine on Olympiacos and Marinakis. The court rejected the committee's complaints that Olympiacos' administration "did not satisfy the conditions of legality and regularity." The verdict means all charges against Marinakis have been dropped and there is "no problem with his participation in the management of Olympiacos" (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 2/8).
The French Football Federation partnered with tech start-up My Coach for three years, to pursue its int’l development, notably in the U.S. and China. With My Coach Football and the “FFF Official International Coaching App,” educators who are FFF int’l partners will have access to various technical training resources from the French National Technical Directorate (DTN). Translated into English and Chinese, French coaching techniques will be presented in videos, tutorials and brochures (FFF).
