December 8 – Within 48 hours of being re-instated by FIFA following a two-year ban, Kuwait has been confirmed as host of the upcoming Gulf Cup, ending widespread uncertainty over whether the troubled event can take place.
December 8 – Cristiano Ronaldo was awarded the Ballon d‘Or for world player of the year on Thursday for a joint-record fifth time, equalling the feat of Lionel Messi.
December 8 – Hope Solo, the United States’ World Cup-winning goalkeeper, has thrown her hat into the ring for presidency of the US Soccer Federation, taking the number of declared candidates to eight.
December 8 – Inter Milan, who have invested in building their content division via their new Inter Media House facilities, are seeing an immediate benefit with the club announcing they have passed the seven million fans mark on Facebook.
By David Owen
December 8 – Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis was paid over £2.6 million in emoluments over the year to May 31. A breakdown included in the annual accounts of Arsenal Holdings plc, recently filed at Companies House, reveals that on top of a basic salary of £1.67 million, Gazidis received a £919,000 bonus and pension and benefits totalling £29,000.
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 8 – Nottingham Forest have announced they will include as part of their diversity programme an initiative to embrace the Jamaican diaspora in Nottingham and the contribution they have made to the city.
December 7 – A Brazilian marketing executive has told the FifaGate trial in New York how he helped set up an enticing bribe to powerful South American football officials to secure the rights for a new tournament that never happened.
December 7 – Serie A side AS Roma have been given the go-ahead to build their own stadium after an on-off project planning process that has taken five years to complete.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 7 – In an unexpected twist, Qatar has offered Kuwait the chance to take over as host nation of the forthcoming Gulf Cup in order to ensure full participation of those eligible to take part, according to unconfirmed local reports.
December 12 – Already reeling from the doping scandal that has reverberated through world sport, Russian football has been hit with its latest claim of racism, this time against Liverpool striker Rhian Brewster who has alleged he was abused by a Spartak Moscow player during a UEFA Youth League game on Wednesday.
December 7 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced a significant boost in prize money for the second year running for its growing regional club competitions.
December 7 – It has been a slow burn but ticket sales have suddenly ignited for the Russia 2018 World Cup following the Final Draw last Friday. 1,318,109 tickets were requested in the first 24 hours from when the sales window opened December 6.
December 7 – The president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, has apologised for neglecting Nigeria’s women national team. The Super Falcons haven’t played a single match since winning the 2016 African Women Cup of Nations (AWCON).
December 7 – Australian football has won a stay of execution after FIFA decided not to take over the running of the sport in the midst of an internal power struggle.