LaLiga drives deeper into China with Dongfeng Fengguang car sponsorship
June 15 – LaLiga has Chinese automobile brand Dongfeng Fengguang as the Official China Regional Automobile Sponsor of LaLiga for the 2018-19 season.
Russia open the greatest show on earth with singing, dancing and a patriotic 5-0 winning smile
By Andrew Warshaw in Moscow
June 14 – Walking round the streets of Moscow in the days leading up to tonight’s World Cup opener, you wouldn’t necessarily have known the Russian capital was about to herald the start of a competition that has taken eight years to organise and was so vital in terms of image and public relations.
Qatar’s beIN opens up World Cup broadcasts to Saudis and Egyptians on free-to-air channels
By Paul Nicholson
June 14 – Egyptian and Saudi Arabian fans will be able to watch their teams play at the World Cup after a last minute announcement by broadcast rightsholder beIN Sport that 22 matches will be broadcast on their free-to-air channels. The dispute over beIN’s distribution in both countries has been bitter with the Qataris having distribution issues and the Saudis even pirating rights on newly launched broadcast-spoiler station BeoutQ.
United 2026 bid savours landslide victory as Moroccans left to lick their wounds
By Andrew Warshaw in Moscow
June 14 – So, after months of criss-crossing the globe, how did they manage to win so emphatically? As leaders of the triumphant North American 2026 World Cup bid took in the totally unexpected margin of victory, they were honest enough to admit that even they didn’t expect such an outcome.
PSG clear FFP probe but need to raise €60m from player sales to meet 2018 audit
By Paul Nicholson
June 14 – Big spending Paris St. Germain have passed UEFA’s financial fair play (FFP) investigation for 2015, 2016 and 2017 but the club remains under the microscope for 2018 and could be forced to raise to €60 million through player sales to meet the regulations to avoid further scrutiny.
Marathonbet in it for the long run with multi-year Man City deal
June 24 – Premier League Manchester City has signed its first global betting partnership with online bookmaker Marathonbet. The UAE-owned club has previously resisted betting company sponsorship.
AFC to open Doha office to support Qatar in run-up to 2022 World Cup
June 14 – While focus is firmly on Russia 2018 for the next month, it will soon switch to Qatar and the 2022 World Cup, and the preparations in-country for the first finals tournament to be held in Winter.
SIGA and George Washington University start academic network focussed on sport integrity
June 14 – The Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) has signed a cooperation agreement with the George Washington University (GWU) in the US that will kick start the ‘SIGA University Network’ as the alliance adds other leading academic institutions worldwide.
Hyundai adds Atlético Madrid sponsorship, following similar sleeve deal with Chelsea
June 14 – Hyundai will be Atlético Madrid’s official automotive partner for the next three seasons with it’s logo displayed on the left sleeve of the first men’s and women’s team shirt in national competitions until 2021 in a deal which displaces Alfa Romeo.
US-Mexico-Canada ecstatic as United bid wins 66% of World Cup 2026 vote
By Andrew Warshaw in Moscow
June 13 – It was the 13th item on the agenda and it proved to be unlucky verging on disastrous for Morocco as the United States and its partners Canada and Mexico were today awarded the 2026 World Cup.
AFC joins the commercial big league with $4bn+ rights deal for 2021-28 cycle
By Paul Nicholson
June 13 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has secured a huge uplift in revenue for its commercial rights, landing a potentially $4 billion-plus deal with specially formed DDMC Fortis after an 15-month tender process.
Dispute over FIFA World Cup broadcast rights reaches boiling point in Egypt
By Mark Baber
June 13 – The dispute between authorities in Egypt and FIFA over the latter’s sale of exclusive World Cup broadcast rights in Egypt to Qatar-owned beIN sports has intensified with Egypt’s Competition Authority (ECA) saying it will oblige FIFA to allow the state broadcaster to broadcast 22 matches, including those of the Egyptian national team.
More money, more projects and more Infantino. FIFA boss prepares path for re-election
By Andrew Warshaw in Moscow
June 13 – Gianni Infantino claimed personal credit today for turning round FIFA’s fortunes since becoming its president just over two years ago – both from a financial and transparency standpoint.
Putin takes centre stage at FIFA Congress to welcome football world to Russia
By Andrew Warshaw in Moscow
June 13 – He stayed away in 2010 when Russia won the vote as a sign of respect for FIFA, flying into Zurich only after the result became public.
Russia 2018 tickets still on sale for group games, England vs Tunisia not sold out
By Samindra Kunti in Moscow
June 13 – On the eve of the World Cup, tickets remain for 19 of the 48 group matches, including England’s opening match against Tunisia. Last week FIFA announced 2.4 million tickets had been sold for the tournament.