January 11 – Forget the often over-contrived confederation year end awards, surely a real vote is one cast by the people? If so, then the UEFA.com Fans’ Team of the Year 2017 is what really counts with a record (and remarkable) 8.77 million votes cast, an increase of 1.6 million over 2016.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 8 – When the draw is made for the last 32 of the world’s oldest and most revered domestic cup competition this evening, the name of one club will be conspicuous by its absence in the famous velvet bag.
January 8 – Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology makes its long-awaited debut in English football tonight when Brighton face Crystal Palace in the last of the FA Cup third-round fixtures.
January 5 – Former England manager Roy Hodgson has warned that the introduction of video technology in English football will not necessarily be a positive move judging by recent instances of controversy elsewhere.
January 4 – In what they describe as a “unique partnership”, Leeds United, one of English football’s most iconic clubs striving to return to the top flight from the second-tier Championship, have joined forces with Qatar’s famed Aspire Academy in order to bring about “long term benefits to the club’s on the field performance.”
January 4 – Here we go again. Juventus reached the Coppa Italia semi-finals on Wednesday with a 2-0 win over neighbours Torino who were incensed at yet another example of video technology seemingly going wrong.
December 20 – Tottenham Hotspur have signed a deal North East health and wellbeing company Mammoth Mattresses, who will become the Official Mattress and Pillow Supplier of the Premier League Club.
December 19 – Barcelona players are more likely to be key players for their countries than those at Manchester United, Spurs, Bayern Munich or Juventus. A survey of minutes played by national A team players in 2017 saw Barca players rack up 139 matches and 10, 846 minutes.
December 19 – Sports supplement supplier Healthspan has added Tottenham Hotspur to their roster of Premier League clubs alongside Southampton. The also supply Nottingham Forest in the Championship.
December 13 – Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane is praying that none of his players pick up red and yellow cards in the FIFA Club World Cup.
December 12 – The CIES Football Observatory has ranked the top 10 performers in the Big 5 European leagues so far this season in eight positions. Four leagues have players filling top positions, only the Bundesliga fails to have a position leader.
December 11 – Real Madrid will have to overcome one of the teams of the moment if they want to achieve a hattrick of Champions League crowns.
December 11 – Trials of assistant video referees in the German Bundesliga threw up yet another controversial case at the weekend when a player had actually left the field after being sent off before being called back on.
December 8 – Good try but not good enough. Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal will miss the first leg of the Champions League last 16 after he was found by UEFA to have got himself deliberately booked for time-wasting in the last month’s 6-0 win at Apoel Nicosia.
December 7 – Are English transfer fees at last paying off at European level after Premier League clubs made Champions League history?