Haaland and Messi head nominees list for 2023 Ballon d’Or
September 7 – Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Miami’s Lionel Messi head the 30-player list of candidates for the 2023 Ballon d’Or award.
Hermoso files criminal complaint against Rubiales
September 7 – Jennifer Hermoso has filed a criminal complaint against Luis Rubiales over the kiss after Spain’s World Cup victory, accusing the football official of sexual assault.
World Cup 2026 qualifying kicks off with Argentina vs Ecuador
September 7 – Tonight world champions Argentina will embark on the long road to the 2026 World Cup taking on Ecuador with South America leading the way in qualifying.
Aston Villa agree forex partnership package with Corpay
September 7 – Aston Villa has announced Corpay as the club’s Official Commercial Foreign Exchange Partner.
Urawa Reds target Asian club double as AFC Women’s club draw sets groups
September 7 – The draw for the AFC Women’s Club Championship 2023 has pitched top-seeded Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies of Japan against Chinese Taipei’s Hualien Women, Bangkok FC of Thailand and India’s Sree Gokulam Kerala in Group A.
AFC calls in its top association officials for high level capacity building powwow
September 7 – The AFC is gathering the top two officials of all its member and regional associations in the same room for a two-day conference next month in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, with the aim of knowledge exchange, increasing administrative capacity, and creating stronger co-operation on a national level.
U23 Asian Cup qualifiers: Japan set blistering pace, Saudis win opener, Korea stumble
September 8 – Japan and Jordan stamped early claims for places at the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 finals with big opening group wins. Japan beat Pakistan 6-0 while Jordan put 9 past Brunei Darussalem.
Saints, Leeds and Leicester cash in during transfer window but stay favourites for EPL return
September 6 – Player transfer spending in England’s second tier EFL Championship witnessed a surge in gross spending in the summer window just closed, reaching £140 million. This represents a substantial increase of 63% compared to summer 2022, but it remains below the pre-pandemic levels of the 2017-2019 three-year average, which stood at £170 million.
EAFC gets ball rolling with player ratings reveal that boosts Arsenal but hammers Chelsea
By Harry Ewing
September 6 – The much-anticipated FIFA replacement EAFC has released the first wave of official player ratings: showcasing London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea ahead of the game’s release later this month.
BetPawa increases its African betting footprint with Uganda federation deal
September 6 – The Federation of Uganda Football Association (FUFA) and BetPawa have partnered in a deal that will cover the FUFA Drum, the Big League and the Futsal League.
Henderson comes out over LGBTQ criticism arguing ‘we can all bury our heads in the sand’
September 6 – Former Liverpool star Jordan Henderson has defended his move to Saudi Arabian club Al Ettifaq after LGBTQ rights criticism.
Chelsea’s record-breaking transfer window loads team up with new faces and great expectations
September 6 – Chelsea have spent the most of any team in world football for the third straight transfer window and enter the Premier League season with a completely new-look squad. They have shipped out 11 superstar names and brought in 10 fresh faces, some of them very fresh.
Club World Cup in Saudi draws Club León vs Urawa Reds in second round
September 5 – The draw for the seven-team FIFA Club World Cup 2023 tournament – in 2025 the tournament moves to 32 teams and will be hosted in the US – has been held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
RFEF fires women’s head coach and Rubiales-backed ally Jorge Vilda
September 6 – Women’s world champions Spain are looking for a new national coach after Jorge Vilda was fired amid the controversy involving suspended federation president Luis Rubiales.
São Paulo join SIGA, Brazilian Sports Ministry signs MOU – SIW2023 gets into full swing
September 6 – Brazilian giants São Paulo FC have become the first professional football club to join the Sports Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) as member.