Alves rape trial date set for February
December 21 – Brazil and Barcelona star Dani Alves’ trial for alleged sexual assault will start February 5.
Klopp calls on Anfield crowd to up their game for Arsenal visit, or stay away
December 21 – Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has told any supporter “not in the right shape” for Saturday’s top-of-the-table Premier League encounter with leaders Arsenal to give their ticket to someone else as the Anfield crowd disappointed again last night.
Size matters? TSG Hoffenheim top ranking of world’s tallest teams
December 21 – The CIES Football Observatory has revealed the tallest and shortest teams in world football in its latest study, which ranks the clubs in 53 leagues around the world according to the average size of the line-ups fielded in the current or last completed season.
Former Sheffield Utd wannabe Dozy Mmobuosi wakes up to billion dollar SEC fraud complaint
By Paul Nicholson
December 21 – The Nigerian businessman who was the preferred bidder for Sheffield United as they journeyed to England’s Premier League is facing multiple fraud charges from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for billions of dollars of fictitious transactions.
USSF tells MLS that US Open Cup remains for first teams only
December 21 – Major League Soccer (MLS) has been told by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) that its clubs can only play first teams in the country’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
Slovenian women’s team wins equal pay deal after summer of discontent
December 12 – The Slovenian women’s national team has achieved equal pay with the country’s men’s team, Fifpro said on Wednesday.
FIFA’s Wenger rejects concerns over player welfare as he bangs drum for Club World Cup
December 20 – FIFA’s head of global football development, Arsene Wenger, has backed plans for an expanded Club World Cup from 2025 and downplayed concerns about overload and player welfare.
Afghan men’s team to continue boycott until FA boss Kargar faces match-fixing charges
December 20 – Members of Afghanistan’s men’s national team have urged FIFA to investigate allegations of match-fixing against the president of the country’s FA.
LaLiga to open up referees’ audio for VAR decision-making to public
December 20 – In a landmark move, fans in Spain will be able to hear reasons for contentious VAR decisions following an agreement between the Spanish Football League (La Liga) and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
Turkish chaos: Istanbulspor leave the pitch after president protests referee’s decisions
December 20 – Turkish football has been hit with another scandal involving club presidents and match officials.
Fans warming up to Xmas fixtures as stadia average capacity his 98.4%
December 20 – Match week 17 of the Premier League season recorded a huge improvement from last week’s double-header, as 403,822 fans piled into top-flight grounds with the four-way title race beginning to heat up.
Man City cruise past Urawa Red Diamonds to set up CWC final against Fluminense
By Samindra Kunti in Jeddah
December 20 – European champions Manchester City rekindled some of their form with a comfortable 3-0 victory against Urawa Red Diamonds to book a place in the final of the Club World Cup.
Carille tasked with returning Santos to Brazilian top tier
December 20 – Brazilian club Santos have tasked Fabio Carille with steering the club back to the top flight, confirming his appointment earlier this week.
Asian Cup organisers launch third round of ticket sales ahead of Jan 12 kick off
December 20 – The Asian Cup Local Organising Committee (LOC) has launched a third phase of ticket sales for the tournament that kicks off January 12.
Kelme releases one-off ball for Asian Cup Final
December 20 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Kelme have unveiled the Official Match Ball of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 Final ahead of the kick off on 12 January 2024.