Qatar 2022: France join growing list of nations providing security support to hosts
August 5 – France has become the latest country that will deploy security personnel during the World Cup in Qatar to help safeguard the global sporting event.
Asahi Super Dry joins CFG as global partner across Man City, Melbourne City, Yokohama and Sichuan Jinui
August 5 – Japanese beer brand Asahi Super Dry has become a Global Partner of City Football Group in a multi-year deal.
Fulham bring in Sodexo Live! to activate Fulham Pier partnerships
August 4 – Premier League Fulham, back in the top flight after a year’s absence, have awarded Sodexo Live! an 11-year contract as venue partner for the new Fulham Pier development built on the old Riverside stand of Craven Cottage on the banks of the Thames River .
ASEAN zone clubs kick off AFC Cup knockout stages
August 5 – The AFC Cup 2022 enters the knockout stage early next week with 12 clubs competing for a place in the final on October 22.
Lionesses call on UK government to make football available to girls in every school
August 3 – England’s Lionesses have written an open letter to the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom – Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss – calling for more girls’ football in schools, but there are fears that the new government will neglect the legacy of the new European champions.
UEFA to debut semi-automated VAR at Super Cup ahead of UCL introduction
August 3 – In the latest attempt to improve marginal VAR decisions and improve accuracy, UEFA has announced that for the first time it will use semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) to detect when players are offside in the Champions League this season.
Napoli’s de Laurentiis says club will stop signing Africans unless they turn back on AFCON
August 3 – The controversial and notoriously outspoken president of Italian top-flight club Napoli, Aurelio de Laurentiis, has hit out at the timing of the African Cup of Nations and says the club will stop signing any more African players unless they agree not to play in the tournament.
WSL clubs report surge in ticket sales post success of Euro 2022
August 3 – The impact of England’s women’s Euro 2022 success has been followed by a surge in ticket interest in the country’s Women’s Super League.
JD agrees one-year sleeve sponsorship deal with Premier League Saints
August 4 – Premier League Southampton have unveiled sports leisurewear brand JD, as the club’s Official Sleeve partner in a one-year deal for the 2022/23 season.
PSG start new partnership with Russian-linked online bookmaker 1xBet
August 3 – French club Paris Saint-Germain have partnered with online betting platform 1xBet as a regional sponsor in Africa and Asia for the next three seasons.
Man Utd connects with Qualcomm and Snapdragon in multi-year global deal
August 3 – Manchester United have signed a multi-year global partnership with Qualcomm Technologies that will focus on promotion of the company’s Snapdragon brand.
Los Angeles SoFi stadium makes soccer debut with full house for Leagues Cup Showcase
August 3 – Los Angeles’ spectacular SoFi Stadium, a venue for the 2026 World Cup and potentially the final, hosted its first football match last night, in fact two of them, to a full house.
Mastercard joins partner roster for Sport Integrity Week, September 12-16
August 3 – Mastercard has stepped up to partner with SIGA and its Sport Integrity Week 2022 that will take place in Cascais, Portugal, from September 12-16.
FIFA’s African apparatchiks keep CAF reform proposal from being circulated to MAs
By Paul Nicholson
August 3 – A reform proposal submitted by the Zambian FA for the restructuring of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) executive committee to make it both more representative of Africa’s nations and to save costs of at least $25 million appears to have been kicked into the long grass by CAF’s general secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba (pictured).
Premier League players agree to stop taking the knee before every match
August 3 – In a move that seems likely to split public opinion, Premier League players have agreed to stop taking the knee routinely before every kick off during the new season that gets under way later this week, instead performing it ahead of specific games.