January 20 – Canada’s MLS franchise based in Montreal will start the 2021 season with a new name, changing its 28-year moniker from Montreal Impact Club de Foot Montréal (CF Montréal).
January 20 – In an escalation of a Covid-19 dispute, Chinese broadcaster PPLive Sports International has countersued the English Premier League for failing to live up to the terms of its contract.
January 19 – Serie A’s AC Milan has become the latest club commit to blockchain driven cryptocurrency fan tokens, saying that it will launch the $ACM Fan Token on Socios.com in the coming weeks.
By Paul Nicholson
January 15 – Serie A, who are in the final stages of hiving off their commercial rights to venture capitalist CVC for $1.7 billion, will have an early test of that value with the league having issued a tender for the broadcast rights for the Middle East and Africa.
January 18 – The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) is to issue a new tender for French domestic TV rights after broadcaster Canal+ returned its Ligue 1 media rights to the LFP.
January 18 – Premier League Southampton have ended their kit deal with US firm Under Armour three seasons early in favour of a new partnership with Danish sportswear brand, hummel.
January 18 – English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur have launched a new Twitter account in South Korea to further engage its growing fanbase in the homeland of the club’s star forward and Korean captain, Heung-Min Son.
January 14 – Sportradar has taken over as the official video and data distribution partner for the Asian Football Confederation’s national and club competitions, in an eight-year agreement running from 2021 to 2028.
January 13 – In another major blow to French football, broadcaster Canal+ will return the Ligue 1 media rights to the LFP, demanding a new tender is issued.
January 12 – Dutch cable operator Ziggo has added another year to its shirt sponsorship of Ajax with an option to extend until 2025.
January 8 – Tottenham Hotspur have unveiled a multi-year deal for their first sleeve sponsorship. Online car retail platform cinch will become the club’s Official Sleeve Partner, starting with this weekend’s matches.
January 8 – Cypriot top flight club Apollon FC are giving their fans the opportunity to vote on the club’s Puma kit for the 2021/22 season. Earlier this season the club gave the fans the chance to select the starting 11 for a friendly against Aris Limassol.
January 7 – Social media numbers often look astronomic with European clubs in particular selling marketing packages based on millions of followers, likes and interactions. But how good are these numbers?
January 6 – The top flight of Dutch football, the Eredivisie, has increased its ownership stake in the company that sells its commercial rights, Eredivisie Media & Marketing (EMM).
January 5 – Manchester City Women are putting on the style with Italian fashionwear production house Salento Creazioni Moda who have become the team’s first ever global formalwear partner.