Prosecutors seek 4-year doping ban for Pogba
December 8 – Anti-doping prosecutors in Italy have requested a maximum four-year ban for Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba after the French 2018 World Cup winner tested positive for testosterone.
World Football
ECA rival UEC gets membership boost with 34 English clubs joining via Fair Game partnership
December 12 – The Union of European Clubs (UEC) has received a membership boost after 34 clubs from England and Wales joined following a partnership with Fair Game, the union announced on Friday.
Groups drawn for Copa America 2024 in the US
December 8 – World Cup 2022 winners Argentina will face Peru, Chile and a Concacaf qualifier in the group stages of their defense of their Copa America title in the USA next summer.
Matic tells youth to steer clear of Red Star and Partizan, the ‘viruses’ of Serbian football
December 8 – Former Serbian Manchester United star Nemanja Matic (pictured) has launched another attack on Serbian football, its president Dragan Džajić, and the country’s biggest clubs – Red Star Belgrade and Partizan Belgrade – who he calls the “viruses” of Serbian football.
Palmeiras repeat Serie A title win in Brazil, Santos relegated for first time
December 6 – On a dramatic last day of the season in Brazil, Palmeiras won a second consecutive title following a 1-1 draw with Cruzeiro while Santos were relegated for the first time in their history following a 2-1 defeat to Fortaleza.
Concacaf seeds US, Canada and Brazil apart as it prepares for W Gold Cup 2024 draw
December 7 – The USA, Brazil and Canada will be the three seeded teams heading the groups for the draw December 11 for the 12-team Concacaf W Gold Cup 2024.
Bulgaria’s FC Hebar appeals to fans for cash to pay player wages after municipality ends its support
December 7 – Bulgarian side FC Hebar Pazardzhik is asking his fans and local companies for financial support to keep the club going after the Municipality of Pazardzhik pulled its funding.
Marseilles vs Lyon re-match played without incident, and travelling fans
December 7 – Just four days after the death of a Nantes fan that marked a new low in a French season marred by violence, a rescheduled game between Marseille and Lyon took place on Wednesday with no trouble.
UEFA launches women’s health expert panel with surge in ACL injuries their first focus
December 7 – UEFA has introduced a women’s health expert panel with the goal of gaining a deeper understanding of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries and their alarming occurrence in the women’s game.
UEFA breaks new ground with multi-brand Euro 2024 sponsorship with Unilever
December 6 – UEFA has secured a first-time partnership with FMCG giant Unilever with sponsorship activation during Euro 2024 for its personal care and nutrition brands.
Tebas secures fourth term as president of LaLiga
December 6 – Controversial Spanish league boss Javier Tebas is back in power after being re-elected for a fourth term.
Dutch double in added time kills off England and Team GB dreams of Olympic qualifying
December 6 – The Netherlands clinched the top spot in Group 1 of the UEFA Women’s Nations League with a 4-0 victory against Belgium on a night of added time goals and passion that saw England’s 6-0 thrashing of Scotland not being enough to take the European Champions and World Cup finalists through to the final four.
Concacaf recognises key founding partners for 2024 W Gold Cup
December 6 – Concacaf is celebrating four major sponsor partners for the inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup which makes its debut in February with four invited teams from Conmebol and eight qualifiers from Concacaf,
Sevilla shareholders agree €300m stadium expansion
December 6 – La Liga’s Sevilla have unveiled plans for a large-scale development of their Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium.
Adidas chip in with high tech Euro 2024 ball to speed up ref decision-making
December 6 – The ball being used at Euro 2024 will help produce faster offside and handball decisions, a welcome development after so many controversial calls in recent months.