TIM signs 2-year premium partnership with Juve
December 5 – Juventus have signed a new two-year deal with Italian telecoms giant TIM, which will see the mobile provider become a premium partner of the club until 2026.
News
FIFA releases pot seeding for 2025 Club World Cup draw on Thursday
December 4 – FIFA has seeded the 32 qualified clubs for the December 5, 2025 Club World Club draw into four pots, with four European and four South American clubs making up the top eight seeds in Pot 1.
No sweat. FIFA prepares groundwork for another Winter World Cup in 2034
December 4 – Having already sparked widespread disbelief at being fast-tracked as the sole candidate to stage the 2034 World Cup – they will officially be rubber-stamped as hosts on December 11 – it is now seems highly likely that Saudi Arabia will become the second country to stage the event in winter, following in the footsteps of Qatar.
Former USWNT coach and San Diego Wave president takes chief football officer role at FIFA
December 4 – More than a few eyebrows will have been raised across the global game after FIFA announced it has brought in two-time US women’s World Cup-winning coach Jill Ellis to the new position of chief football officer.
Wales secure Women’s Euro 2025 slot with historic play-off win over Ireland
December 4 – Wales made footballing history on Tuesday by reaching a major women’s tournament for the first time after qualifying for next year’s Euros in Switzerland.
Rouge Groupe sees red over Marseilles fans’ homophobic chanting
December 4 – A French campaign group has renewed calls for authorities to take action against homophobic chanting by fans, singling out Marseille supporters for belting out anti-gay slurs “with complete impunity” during a home game against Monaco on Sunday.
St Louis’ CityPark stadium wins global design award
December 4 – CityPark stadium, the home of Major League Soccer’s St. Louis City, has been awarded the 2024 Prix Versailles World Title in the sports venues category.
Fernando Simões ousts controversial Artur Almeida e Silva as Angola FA president
December 4 – Fernando Simões has succeeded Artur Almeida e Silva as the boss of Angolan football after winning the presidential elections at the Angolan Football Federation (FAF).
FIFA hits Bank of America cashpoint for CWC sponsorship
December 4 – With the Club World Cup 2025 group draw taking place in Miami this Thursday, FIFA has announced Bank of America as a Club World Cup 2025 sponsor. The bank opened its account with FIFA in August becoming a 2026 World Cup partner.
Romania to appeal UEFA fine over abandoned Kosovo game at CAS
December 4 – The Romanian Football Federation (FRF) has announced that it will appeal UEFA’s sanctions following incidents during the Nations League match between Romania and Kosovo in Bucharest on November 15.
UEFA draw groups of U21 finals. Holders England face Germany, Spain drawn with Italy
December 4 – The groups for the upcoming UEFA U21 European Championships, to be played in Slovakia 11-28 June 2025, have been decided following the draw ceremony in Bratislava on Tuesday.
New York City FC breaks ground on $780m Etihad Park
December 4 – Later today New York City FC will break ground on Etihad Park, its new 25,000 capacity stadium in Willets Point, Queens, that will be completed in time for the start of the 2027 season.
Brentford focussed on improved scouting data with renewed Eyeball.Club deal
December 4 – Premier League Brentford have renewed their collaboration with talent scouting digital platform Eyeball.Club that will see the Bees integrate Eyeball.Club’s software into their talent identification systems, complementing their traditional scouting methods which have proved to be successful since breaking into the Premier League in 2021.
Qataris stay focussed on delivering FIFA’s Intercontinental Cup
December 4 – While Club World Cup focus has been on FIFA’s draw this week for the 2025 group stages, Qatari organisers have been methodically preparing for the hosting of the final stages of FIFA’s old version of the Club World Cup, renamed as the Intercontinental Cup that kicks off December 11.
Burning up: FIFA scores stunning hat-trick of deceptive reports with 2022 sustainability account
December 3 – In the 2022 World Cup sustainability report, FIFA claims that the tournament in Qatar produced 3.8 megatons of CO2, but critics argue the tournament was one of the most polluting ever.