January 13 – Four years ago, Major League Soccer (MLS) introduced MLS NEXT as a future pathway for youth soccer players in the United States. Beginning in September 2025, the programme is set to introduce a new competition tier with the aim to deepen its pool of talented players and coaches, while offering enhanced opportunities for growth and development.
January 13 – Women’s football icon Marta has signed a new two-year contract with National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) champions Orlando Pride, extending her illustrious club career.
January 13 – Inter Miami who caused a rumpus last year during pre-season when Lionel Messi was a no-show in Hong Kong, are on the road again playing games in North, Central, and South America.
January 10 – Bulgaria’s National Assembly is to debate the case of Botev Plovdiv’s Russian owner Anton Zingarevich, who has been banned from entering the country.
January 10 – Betting in football is a fact of life and the cost of doing business. In the club game, sponsorship is attached to almost anything that is within eyesight, however, the international game has been relatively immune until recently when both FIFA and UEFA agreed spnosrships with Betano and Bet365.
January 10 – Drinking alcohol in the stands of English football grounds and stadium areas with views of the pitch was banned in 1985, however, four championship clubs from the women’s game will now take part in a new pilot program to allow fans to drink alcohol in the stands.
January 10 – Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano has ruled out the possibility of reuniting Neymar with Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez at the club, citing Major League Soccer’s (MLS) strict salary cap regulations as a major barrier.
January 10 – French champions Paris Saint-Germain have announced a partnership with Austrian crypto platform Bitpanda.
January 10 – In the first big call by the club’s new American owners, Everton fired manager Sean Dyche on Thursday just three hours before playing an FA Cup match.
January 10 – Energy drinks are one of the unquestioned drivers of sponsorship in sports, with Red Bull often leading the way. They have further cemented that reputation by joining forces with Spanish powerhouse, Atlético de Madrid, becoming the official energy drink of the club until June 2027.
January 9 – The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has begun reviewing a “full file” of evidence submitted by the Metropolitan Police regarding a Premier League footballer accused of multiple counts of rape.
January 9 – Spain’s national sports council (CSD) has granted Barcelona provisional permission to register Dani Olmo (pictured) and Pau Victor, following an appeal by the club after earlier rejections from La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
January 9 – The Spanish Super Cup, being played in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, opened with a 2-0 win for Barcelona over Athletic Club with goals by Gavi and Lamine Yamal, against a backdrop of protests against the unequal distribution of tournament revenue to clubs.
January 9 – Graham Potter says he is looking forward to a “big challenge” after being confirmed as the new West Ham manager, 24 hours after Julen Lopetegui was fired.
January 9 – After losing the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals 2-0 to Newcastle United, Arsenal boss, Mikel Arteta came up with the unusual excuse that the match balls may have been the cause for his team’s loss.