By David Owen
December 15 – The sobering story of the 2019-20 Premier League financial results season has continued, with Everton posting a towering pre-tax loss for the year to end-June of £139.9 million.
December 15 – No sooner had a limited number of fans been allowed back at a number of Premier League fixtures than London matches have been forced back behind closed doors after the capital was placed in the toughest tier of COVID-19 restrictions following a sharp rise in infection rates.
December 15 – In a remarkable interview with the online version of Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper, the disgraced former head of Haiti’s football federation – banned for life for sexual abuse – has launched a passionate defence of his behaviour by accusing FIFA of being corrupt, declaring he is being used as a scapegoat and arguing that he was given only 10 minutes to respond to the sickening accusations against him.
December 15 – Premier League Arsenal are revamping their membership programme into a broader based loyalty and rewards programme that will be delivered in partnership with Barclays Bank and Fortress GB.
December 15 – Never one to miss out on a photo opportunity to boost his popularity, Gianni Infantino attended the official signing on Monday of a ground-breaking agreement between the football associations of the UAE and Israel.
December 15 – The CIES Football Observatory has launched its latest top 10 rankings of the best performing players in Europe born in the 2000s and playing for clubs outside Europe’s Big 5 leagues.
December 15 – OneFootball has acquired Dugout, one of the world’s largest digital football media businesses, taking over a key rival in a bid to expand its reach and digital footprint further.
December 15 – Belgian football has postponed a decision to temporarily maintain an 18-team league format until January following a general assembly of the Pro League.
December 14 – Barcelona will face Paris St Germain in a mouth-watering heavyweight clash of the Champions League round of 16 while title holders Bayern Munich are up against Italy’s Lazio following today’s draw.
December 14 – South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai came from behind to defeat Japan’s Vissel Kobe 2-1 after extra time at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Qatar on Sunday to win the East zone of the Asian Champions League (ACL). They now face Iranian giants Persepolis next Saturday in final.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 14 – Former French head coach and Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier, one of the most knowledgeable, astute and widely respected figures of his generation, has died aged 73, prompting a string a tributes from across the footballing world.
December 14 – The Professional Football League (LFP) and Mediapro have reached an agreement to part ways with the Spanish agency paying €100 million in compensation.
December 14 – FIFA has appointed a normalisation committee for the Haitian Football Association after it found “strong indications” that the federation’s disgraced former president Yves Jean-Bart is still exerting his influence despite being banned for life last month following multiple accusations of systematic sexual abuse of female players.
December 14 – Ukraine have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against UEFA’s decision to award Switzerland a 3-0 walkover win in last month’s Nations League clash between the sides as a result of positive Covid-19 tests in the Ukrainian camp.
December 14 – Having met with AFC President Shaikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa and AFC General Secretary Dato’ Windsor John on Sunday in Bahrain, the Saudi AFC Asian Cup 2027 bid team officially delivered their Bid Book to AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.