Japan's int'l friendly with Chile was canceled after an earthquake struck the island of Hokkaido on Thursday. Seven people are confirmed dead after the 6.7 magnitude quake. A statement from the Japan FA said, "We send our deepest condolences and sincerest sympathies to those affected by the earthquake that struck the central-eastern part of Iburi region in Hokkaido." Japan is currently scheduled to play Costa Rica on Sept. 11 in Osaka (ESPN.com, 9/6).
Tottenham took the "unusual step" of offering season-ticket holders and members the right to buy three additional tickets for this month's Premier League meeting with Liverpool "amid fears that some fans are boycotting matches at Wembley." The attendance for Tottenham's only game played at Wembley so far this season, against Fulham last month, of 58,297 "was down 10,000" on the average crowd for Premier League matches at the national stadium last season (LONDON TIMES, 9/6).
KMPG announced the release of its Football Benchmark Player Valuation Tool, a digital platform -- based on proprietary algorithms and consistent modeling approach -- providing estimations of the market value of the world's most sought-after talents. The launch of this new tool, powered by Microsoft technology, also kicks off a new strategic collaboration with Opta. The player Valuation Tool will offer market values -- updated three times per year -- for more than 4,000 players (KPMG).
The Int'l FA Board is "set to step in to judge" whether the Premier League's referees' chiefs "bent the rules by telling officials no goal should ever be awarded if the ball comes off a player's hand." The laws of the game specifically state that "handling the ball involves a deliberate act." However it emerged, following a meeting of top-flight clubs, the Professional Game Match Officials Ltd. directed English referees that "even if it is an accidental handball," then "no goal should be awarded" (LONDON TIMES, 9/5).
A-League execs "will heed lessons from the World Cup with a revamped VAR system for the new season," including a centralized bunker for the video referees. Heartened by the "perceived success in Russia of the controversial video review system" -- which drew "widespread ire from Australian fans" -- the A-League intends to produce a "more streamlined and consistent model with better communication to both TV viewers and supporters in the stadiums" (Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH, 9/6).
Silvio Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani "could reportedly complete a takeover" of Serie C side Monza "by the end of this month." Galliani confirmed negotiations on Wednesday (FOOTBALL ITALIA, 9/6).
