Belgian clubs report combined €139m loss
February 10 – Belgium’s 26 professional clubs registered total record losses of €139 million last year (2020-21 season), the bulk of it a result of the coronavirus crisis.
World Football
Italy targets Euro 2032 hosting as embarks on stadium modernisation
February 9 – European champions Italy have indicated their interest in staging Euro 2032 and have informed UEFA accordingly.
Jamaican boss Ricketts in firing line after court hammers him for homophobic comments
By Paul Nicholson
February 9 – Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president Michael Ricketts, under pressure over his management of the JFF, has been hit with a J$9 million (US$51,000) fine for defamation after homophobic comments he made in 2017.
UEFA to keep watching brief over Albanian FA elections
February 9 – In an unusual move, UEFA are sending a delegation to Albania to monitor the electoral process of the Albanian FA before clubs vote on a new president next month.
Barca CEO Reverter to quit mid-rebuild
February 9 – FC Barcelona CEO Ferran Reverter has resigned after less than a year in the role “for personal and family reasons”, with the club in the crucial stages of agreeing a major sponsorship deal with streaming service Spotify.
Greeks to crack down on violence after Aris fan murdered
February 9 – Greece is to clamp down on fan violence following the killing of a 19-year-old fan in what was believed to be an attack by rival supporters.
Spotify’s €280m deal would be music to Barca’s ears
February 8 – Financially challenged Barcelona are reportedly on the verge of agreeing a €280 million shirt and training kit deal with streaming service Spotify.
TEAM retains global rights to UEFA’s Champions League but US media goes to Relevent
February 8 – TEAM Marketing has retained the rights to the UEFA men’s Champions League for the rights cycle 2024-27, but has ceded media sales rights to Relevent Sports Group in the US.
British and Irish FAs dump World Cup 2030 bid in favour of a run at hosting Euro 2028
By Paul Nicholson
February 7 – The combined British and Irish bid to host the World Cup in 2030 has been officially shelved with the five FAs instead saying they will focus on a bid to host the Euro 2028 championships.
More African Super League talk as Motsepe says it will be FIFA run and privately funded
By Samindra Kunti
February 7 – On the sidelines of the Africa Cup of Nations, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) convened a meeting with FA presidents, club chairmen and FIFA president Gianni Infantino to discuss plans for the creation of an African Super League, but the governing body again was able to give little detail on the project.
Mane and Senegal have last word over Salah and Egypt to win AFCON
By Samindra Kunti
February 7 – Senegal won their first-ever Africa Cup of Nations despite Sadio Mane missing a penalty in the first minutes of the final. He later atoned for the miss delivering the winning spot-kick in a 4-2 shootout victory to wrap up a tournament that was overshadowed by the loss of eights lives at the last-16 tie involving hosts Cameroon.
Pulisic, Antonio and Davies headline Concacaf player of year nominees
February 7 – West Ham and Jamaica’s Michail Antonio will face off against Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic (US) and Bayern Munich’s Alfonso Davies (Canada), in the vote for the Concacaf player of the year.
Overmars apologises but quits Ajax after series of inappropriate messages
February 7 – Marc Overmars has quit Ajax as sporting director over inappropriate messages, the Amsterdam club announced on Sunday.
AFC starts hunt for merchandising and licensing partner
February 7 – The AFC has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for AFC the Asian Cup China 2023 Licensing & Merchandising Programme.
CAF clears Hayatou ruling FIFA ban was based on ‘insufficient evidence’
February 7 – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has overturned FIFA’s one-year ban of former Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Issa Hayatou.