Tommaso Ghirardi, the former Parma supremo, and high-ranking official Pietro Leonardi were each slapped with a five-year ban by the Italian football federation (FIGC) for mismanagement leading to the once-mighty club to lose its status.
Ghirardi and Leonardi were also fined €150,000.
As Parma owner between 2007 and 2014, Ghirardi allowed the club’s debts to shoot to €200m.
After a couple of unsuccessful attempts to change ownership, Parma were relegated to the bottom tier of the Italian league in 2015. They won promotion to the third division in 2015-16.
Drinkwater not leaving – Ranieri
Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri has revealed Danny Drinkwater has no release fee clause in his contract as he warned clubs off the midfielder.
The England international signed a fresh five-year deal last month as the Foxes tied their stars down following last season’s Premier League triumph.
“He signed a new contract and he doesn’t have a clause but we don’t want to sell anybody,” Ranieri said.
“We only lost N’Golo Kante be-cause he had a clause in his contract. We want to keep all the players and all the squad.”
Davies keeps hoping
Hull City skipper Curtis Davies, 31, has not ruled out another international call-up eight years after being included in Fabio Capello’s first England squad.
Davies, the best defender in Europe according to Opta’s statistics this month, is happy to take the plaudits but accepts time is running out if he is to finally realise his England dream.
“There’s not the Rio Ferdinands, John Terrys or Sol Campbells of old so I think the door will be open,” said the centre-half.
“But I’m not sure what direction England are looking.”
Across Europe’s top five leagues – in England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France – Opta’s statistics placed Davies at the top of the charts for interceptions, blocks and clearances after the Premier League’s first four matches.
Vitaly Mutko wins new term at RFU
Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko has won a new four-year term as president of the Russian Football Union (RFU) following elections in Moscow yesterday.
The 57-year-old received 266 votes from delegates. His rival for the post was former Russia and CSKA Moscow coach Valery Gazzaev, who received 142 votes.
Mutko has had two spells in charge of the RFU, the first from 2005-09.
He also became caretaker head of the soccer’s governing body in September 2015 when his predecessor Nikolay Tolstykh was removed by a vote of no-confidence after the organisation racked up substantial debts.
Striker Gray banned over 2012 comments
Burnley striker Andre Gray has been banned for four matches for homophobic comments he made on social media in 2012.
The English FA said in a statement that Gray had also been fined £25,000 and warned about his future conduct.
The 25-year-old had requested a personal hearing but was found guilty of six aggravated breaches of FA rules regarding comments deemed to be “abusive and/or insulting and/or bringing the game into disrepute”.
The breaches also included a reference to “sexual orientation and/or gender and/or colour and/or race,” the FA said.
Gray apologised immediately after his comments came to light, saying he was at a very different point in his life four years ago.
Marseille may opt for Rudi Garcia
Rudi Garcia has emerged as the top contender to replace Franck Passi as coach of Marseille following a poor start to the season which has seen the side slip into the bottom half of the Ligue 1 standings.
Garcia, 52, has been without a job since January after leaving Roma, having led the Italian club to two runners-up spots.
Last week, Garcia was also linked with Inter. However, new coach Frank De Boer now appears safe after masterminding Inter to two successive wins.
Marseille, with one win from six matches, are at home to Nantes tonight.
Toure’s agent hits out at Guardiola
Yaya Toure’s agent Dimitri Seluk has continued his attack on Pep Guardiola, accusing the Manchester City manager of treating players “like dogs”.
Last week, Guardiola said he would not pick Toure again unless he received an apology from Seluk for comments he made in the media. But Seluk remains en-trenched in his position.
He said: “Pep Guardiola – he thinks only about himself… he thinks he is already God.
“Very strange things have happened at City because Yaya played with them many years, Hart played with them many years... I don’t know, Kompany played many years, and (in) comes a new coach and says, ‘okay, these players out like dogs’.”