German former footballer Karl-Heinz Riedle is "part of a Bundesliga delegation currently in Jakarta to engage with Indonesian fans through a series of events." The former Borussia Dortmund striker "attended a meet-and-greet event on Sunday." Bundesliga Marketing & Sales Manager for Asia-Pacific Maurice Gorges said, "Indonesia is an important market for us; a key market to which we want better reach. And Dortmund is one of the clubs we're collaborating with this time" (JAKARTA GLOBE, 10/10).
Egypt President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi gave a bonus of $85,000 to each of the players who clinched a place at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. A 2-1 win over Congo saw the side "qualify for the global showpiece" for the first time since '90 (BBC, 10/9).
Spanish Superior Sports Council (CSD) President José Ramón Lete requested that the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) hold new elections as a result of the corruption investigation into former President Ángel María Villar. Lete made the request through the Spanish sports court (TAD), which "needs to approve it to trigger a new election process." The RFEF had no immediate comment (REUTERS, 10/10).
The Israeli FA "moved to deny reports that have surfaced" that one of the pitch invaders who approached Isco during Israel's World Cup qualifying match against Spain on Monday "was carrying a knife." IFA Communications Dir Shlomi Barzel said, "According to all the information we have, there is no evidence or indication that a knife was carried by anyone who ran onto the field. We do not know yet where these reports have come from, they are false. ... The police did arrest all six who entered the pitch" (90MIN, 10/10).
A former Premier League player is at the center of an investigation into "one of the most high-profile match-fixing scandals in European football." The suspect, who is now working as a football agent, was "voluntarily interviewed by Swedish police following match-fixing claims," which saw the Gothenburg-AIK match postponed in May. He reportedly "denies the claims" (LONDON TIMES, 10/10).
