Spanish fans continue racial abuse of Vinicius at Mallorca
February 6 – Mallorca fans were filmed racially abusing Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr. during their 1-0 upset win against Real Madrid on Sunday.
World Football
Gartner steps in as interim Austrian FA chief after Milletich resignation
February 6 – Johann Gartner (pictured) has taken over on an interim basis as head of the Austrian FA following the resignation of Gerhard Milletich.
Iranian Koosha Delshad quits Brazil’s Clube Comercial de Paiui after one game
February 6 – Iranian coach Koosha Delshad has resigned from Brazilian club Piaui following racist abuse.
Civil unrest forces Peru to restart Liga1 behind closed doors
February 3 – Peru’s top-flight division kicks off this weekend behind closed doors following a two-week suspension because of the civil unrest that has reportedly cost more than 50 lives.
Messi refuses to rule out 2026, but he is definitely in for Copa America 2024 in US
February 3 – World Cup winner Lionel Messi did not shut the door on returning to the biggest stage of all, but said he was not sure he can still bring what it takes at the 2026 World Cup. The Argentinean will be 39 at the start of the next World Cup.
Belgian champions Club Brugge’s 16-year wait for a new stadium delayed again by city planners
February 3 – Belgian champions Club Brugge will have to wait longer for a new stadium after their plans for a new stadium again fell foul of city planners.
Tebas says Premier League is ‘financially doped’ and is damaging other European leagues
February 2 – LaLiga boss Javier Tebas (pictured) has again criticised the Premier League, saying the English top flight is “financially doped” after England’s top 20 clubs spent a combined record $1 billion in the recent transfer window, easily outspending Europe’s other big four leagues multiple times.
AFC and Concacaf sign new accord to develop competitions and share knowledge
February 2 – The AFC and Concacaf have signed a four-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) focussed on increasing competition between the two regions for men’s and women’s national teams and clubs.
PSG set up third Pro Residency Academy, their first in Europe
February 2 – In a further expansion of its youth development and commercial footprint, French giants Paris Saint-Germain have opened a new Pro Residency Academy near Evian, France.
Wembley to bring in safe standing areas for Man Utd-Newcastle Utd League Cup final
February 2 – England’s League Cup final at Wembley between Manchester United and Newcastle on February 26 will feature safe standing areas, marking the first time in 35 years fans are allowed to stand at a domestic final.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico qualified from their Nations League A group with a win and a draw against Trinidad and Tobago, but lost twice to Mexico. Their win over Haiti in the preliminary round play-off was a seismic result.
What to expect
With a team based primarily around US-based college players, and with very little experience of international football, they did well to reach the preliminary round, but their 1-0 win over Haiti who had qualified for the 2023 Women’s World Cup was as an act of giant killing.
Serie A clubs’ January transfer spending is lowest since 2006
February 1 – In contrast to the English Premier League, deadline day in Italy brought to an end a winter transfer window that saw the lowest spending by Serie A clubs in almost two decades.
Madrid court gives oxygen to Euro Super League clubs with protection from UEFA sanctions
February 1 – The rebel European Super League clubs have received a boost after a Madrid-based court restored an injunction to stop UEFA sanctions.
Police bosses promise change as they apologise for Hillsborough disaster
February 1 – Britain’s police chiefs have promised a “cultural change” as they apologised to families of the victims in the 1989 Hillsborough tragedy, the UK’s worst sports disaster which saw 97 Liverpool supporters lose their lives.
Tedesco set to take over as Belgian boss as Euro 2024 qualifying nears
February 1 – Domenico Tedesco is on the brink of becoming the new coach of Belgium, succeeding Roberto Martinez who exited the Red Devils following a disappointing first-round elimination at last year’s World Cup.