LaLiga and UFC come out fighting for Hispanic hearts and minds
December 2 – LaLiga North America has teamed up with mixed martial arts organisation UFC, for a joint promotional partnership to engage with fans across both sports.
Scottish footballer arrested in police probe into gambling in sport
December 2 – Another footballer has been questioned by police investigating gambling in sport.
AFC releases final list of election candidates; Shaikh Salman to retain presidency unopposed
December 1 – Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa will run unopposed for a third full term as president of The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the fourth time he has been elected to lead the confederation.
Danes blame early exit on overbearing pressure of Qatar’s human rights issues
December 1 – Danish head coach Kasper Hjulmand has blamed the off-the-field controversies at the Qatar World Cup for his team’s failure at the tournament.
Green and Gold Aussies spearhead Asian challenge and a generational shift
By Samindra Kunti in Doha
December 1 – Do Australia have a new golden generation? Yes, at least in the view of Socceroos coach Graham Arnold, who hailed his players after a dour 1-0 victory against Denmark was enough to ensure passage to the last 16 of the World Cup, for only the second time in Australia’s history.
Collina defends decision to increase added time minutes
December 1 – Almost every game at this World Cup has exceeded 100 minutes in length, but FIFA’s head of referees has defended his referees for the vast amounts of injury time being added.
Ronaldo on brink of $208m deal to join Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr, reports
December 1 – Cristiano Ronaldo is on the verge of a sensational move to leading Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr according to unconfirmed reports.
World Cup sponsor Mengniu takes first steps in club football with PSG
December 1 – Qatar 2022 World Cup regional sponsor Mengniu has expanded its sponsorship footprint into European club football becoming an official regional partner in China for Paris Saint-Germain.
Will DeRucci help Belgians wake up in time for a last-16 qualifying performance
December 1 – Chinese bedding brand DeRucci has signed the Belgian national team as its partner in China for 2022-23.
English and Japanese FAs re-sign MoU with additional focus on women’s leagues
December 1 – The Japan Football Association (JFA) and the English FA have renewed their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a commitment to further expanding their co-operation within an agreement that was first signed in February 2016.
LaLiga turns goal-scoring balls into collectibles with new tracking technology
December 1 – LaLiga is to make every goal-scoring balls available to fans, aided by the use of new technology that identifies the ball that ended up in the back of a net.
Iranians exit the World Cup as Qatari authorities clampdown on protesters
By Samindra Kunti in Doha
November 30 – With the backdrop of the most politically-charged encounter of the World Cup so far, the United States defeated Iran 1-0 to progress to the last 16. However, the encounter was marred by security incidents as Qatari authorities tried to prevent political protests.
Iran released jailed footballers on bail ahead of crunch US tie
November 30 – On the day of Iran’s exit from the World Cup in Qatar following a 1-0 defeat to the US, the Iranian regime released two former national team footballers who had been arrested for joining nationwide protests prompted by the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police.
Ukraine FA boss Pavelko arrested on fraud charges
November 30 – Ukraine’s bid to stage the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal has suffered a potentially serious blow after its FA president Andriy Pavelko (pictured) was arrested on suspicion of embezzling his organisation’s funds.
Tebas tweets ‘Great News’ at Agnelli resignation; LaLiga demand Juve sanctions
November 30 – LaLiga and its president Javier Tebas have wasted no time calling for punitive sporting sanctions against Juventus following the block resignation of Andrea Agnelli and his board on Monday.