FC Nantes to switch kit deal from Umbro to New Balance from next season
February 22 – US-based New Balance has expanded its footprint in France’s Ligue 1, becoming the Official Kit Supplier FC Nantes in a deal that will start next season.
Growing Philippines league turns to Sportradar for data deal, OTT and integrity support
February 22 – The Philippines Football League (PFL), which starts its second season in March, has agreed a multi-year data partnership with Sportradar. Included in the deal is a package of integrity and fraud prevention solutions to safeguard the game in the country.
Tackling Matchfixing: Hart Special Risks join conference sponsor roster
February 21 – Sports specialist insurance broker Hart Special Risks, based in Genoa, Italy, have become a supporting partner of the Tackling Matchfixing conference, March 9-10. They join Sportradar and the Asian Football Confederation as a Supporting Sponsor. The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee are sponsoring the conference dinner at Chelsea Football Club’s Stamford Bridge stadium on March 9.
Qatar Airways lands on Bayern sleeve patch as Lufthansa bumped off roster
February 21 – FC Bayern München and Qatar Airways have agreed a new partnership with the airline becoming a Bayern platinum partner from July 2018 until 2023, replacing Lufthansa whose current agreement expires end June 2018.
Fox unveil record World Cup coverage and a forward base in Red Square
February 21 – Agent Trump will be delighted, US broadcaster FOX Sports has unveiled a World Cup 2018 schedule of more live broadcasts than ever before and including studio coverage from the heart of the iron fist of democracy in Moscow’s Red Square.
Brazil’s Santos force Umbro to renegotiate saying agreed deal was too cheap
February 21 – After just four months Brazilian top-tier side Santos have renegotiated their kit deal with Umbro, saying that the original agreement was unfair and having threatened to cancel the partnership.
AC Milan owner Li Yonghong dismisses finance rumours saying his assets are safe
February 21 – The Chinese owner of AC Milan has described suggestions that he has been declared bankrupt as “fake news” amid unconfirmed reports in Italy that his assets will be auctioned off on Taobao, the Chinese equivalent of eBay, to settle his debts.
VAR to debut in Africa at CAF Super Cup match in Morocco
February 21 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is set to introduce the video assistant referee (VAR) system for the first time this weekend.
Data dopes. West Ham face FA anti-doping rule breach after three strikes
February 21 – English Premier League club West Ham United are facing a Football Association charge alleging they broke rules on anti-doping procedures.
Caribbean Club Shield heads for Dominican Republic as top tier comp gets underway
February 21 – The Dominican Republic will host the inaugural edition of the CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield this April 13-21. The 12-team championship provides a pathway for the region’s smaller football nations towards the newly formed 2018 Scotiabank CONCACAF League.
Spanish police arrest 20 in raids on suspected matchfixers across country
February 20 – The scourge of matchfixing has reared its ugly head in Spain yet again with a spate of arrests relating to alleged rigging in the country’s lower leagues.
Infantino says 2026 bidding rules are clear; warns FIFA is auditing its members
By Andrew Warshaw
February 20 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino insists the world governing body was simply applying the rules when banning Morocco from promoting the country’s 2026 World Cup bid credentials before its own African supporters.
Rodchenkov insists Mutko ordered him to hide any positive drug tests of Russian players
February 20 – The whistleblower whose revelations prompted the Russian doping scandal claims he was personally instructed by the country’s former sports supremo Vitaly Mutko, until recently a senior member of FIFA’s inner circle, to make sure footballers were protected.
Bennell sentenced to 31years in prison for 50 counts of child sexual abuse
February 20 – Former coach Barry Bennell, the serial paedophile whose sickening treatment of aspiring youngsters mainly in the 1980s rocked British football, was sentenced to 31 years in jail on Monday for 50 counts of child sexual abuse.
Monday night blues. German fan fury triggers protests at Eintracht Frankfurt
February 20 – Monday night games may have become relatively commonplace in the English Premier League but in Germany fans don’t take kindly to traditions being constantly eroded.