The trafficking of football players from Africa is often wrongly regarded as a solely European phenomenon. As Pakistani journalist Shazad Ali of DAWN newspaper shows, trafficking is an issue in South Asia as well.

The English FA are reported to have agreed to visit Trinidad and Tobago to play a friendly against the ‘Soca Warriors’ subject to two conditions; Jack Warner apologises for calling them an irritant, and an agreement is reached with Trinidad and Tobago players over World Cup monies owed from the 2006 tournament.

FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke appears to have given his backing to Dominica Football Association president Dexter Francis in his battle to remain head of the DFA. Francis was allegedly the subject of a failed coup d’état at the DFA by former association president Patrick John, backed by FIFA vice-president Jack Warner.

An idea by G14, the lobby group for Europe’s most powerful football clubs, to establish a new body to represents all the clubs appearing in UEFA competitions has been abandoned. In a deal struck with UEFA and FIFA, the G14 will now disband, in favour of a European Club Association.

Governments in the region are waking up late to the need for action to halt the flight of their future champions.

The Premier League is often referred as the wealthiest league in the world. But it does not mean a profitable league. Among the other 72 clubs of the Football League a great part is neither wealthy nor profitable.

If football is doing so well, why are so many English clubs going into administration? Play the Game took a fresh look at various aspects of the football business including the marketing of European clubs overseas and the search for the “holy grail” of profitability.

The rewards have never been greater and the price of relegation never higher. But is English football’s financial model sustainable? Play the Game invited a number of experts to examine the state of professional game today.