Fans set an attendance record for the opening two weekends during the Scottish Professional Football League era. Almost a quarter of a million fans attended the 42 games. It is the "highest turnout in the top flight in its first five years." An extra 55,000 fans made their way through the turnstiles compared to last season, with 230,204 watching games in the league's four divisions. The "biggest attendance of the weekend" came at Ibrox, where 49,636 people watched Hibernian beat Rangers (Scotland DAILY RECORD, 8/15).
The introduction of the video assistant referee system has been criticized in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium after a "series of errors." But FIFA is "determined to push through the referral system" in time for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Former German national team goalkeeper Uli Stein wrote in German magazine Kicker, "From what I have seen so far of the trials it seems to me to end up somewhere between 'comical' and 'unworkable'" (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 8/16).
Germany Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maizère called for tough measures to "crack down" on fans who commit violent acts, including stadium bans, "after fireworks and fires disrupted a match" in Rostock, Germany, on Monday. De Maizière, who also serves as sports minister, said that "overall violence levels were rising in Germany." He added, "We are talking about significant criminal acts in some cases. The justice system must be hard-nosed in this regard" (REUTERS, 8/16).
After two years of suspension due to the overall security situation in the country, the Libyan Premier League kicked off on Tuesday with four matches "successfully completed, albeit without spectators officially attending." The Libyan Football Federation divided the League into four groups based on geographical area, "with the top team from each group qualifying for a final round" (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 8/16).
The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee on Wednesday said that it opposes the Korea FA's plan to "amend articles related to the former's authority." The KSOC said that it will not accept the KFA's decision to "delete articles that will affect the relationship between the two organizations" (YONHAP, 8/16).
