Coronavirus: Scots and Welsh to return stadia to full capacity
January 14 – Full crowds are being allowed to return to Scottish and Welsh stadiums, bringing them into line with the situation in England.
AFCON: Tough day in the sun for referee Sikwaze, CAF and Tunisia
January 14 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed Mali’s 1-0 Africa Cup of Nations victory over Tunisia, rejecting the North Africans’ appeal about the match ending before full-time.
Sports betting pressure: German fan group calls for ad ban; bookies to lose live FA Cup streaming rights
January 14 – Football’s often uncomfortable relationship with sports betting and the promotion of online bookmakers has been highlighted again in two separate moves in Germany and the UK.
Celtic sign Strikerz deal for launch of UFL video game
January 13 – Celtic are the latest club to partner with Strikerz Inc., the firm behind the online football video gamingleague, UFL, that is currently in development and which the firm promises will bring a revolution in online football video gaming.
Houston 2026 bid team unveils 73-point human rights plan for their hosting
January 14 – With the Qatar 2022 World Cup to be hosted at the end of this year in a country with a questionable human rights track record, the Houston 2026 World Cup Bid Committee have come up with their own community-driven Human Rights Report to support their own venue hosting credentials.
Remington cuts new deal with Manchester United
January 14 – Personal care brand Remington has extended its sponsorship and branded product partnership with Manchester United for a second term, understood to be three years.
Boost to broadcasting revenue puts Manchester City back in profit – just
By David Owen
January 13 – Manchester City have produced a glossy annual report containing limited financial information for the 2020-21 season. The headline detail is that the Abu Dhabi-owned club have returned to profit after the heavy losses of 2019-20, which left them 19th out of 20 in a rather sorry-looking Premier League profits table.
Omicron surge and Qatar 2022 preparations force AFC to re-programme Champions League
January 13 – The surge of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 and the “unique circumstances” around the Qatar 2022 World Cup dates have forced the Asian Football Confederation to push back its Champions League (ACL) 2022 schedule with the final now moving from October 2022 into February 2023.
Textor fast follows Botafogo deal with stake in Belgium’s Molenbeek
By Samindra Kunti
January 13 – John Textor has not waited long to deliver on his promise to build a global network of clubs. Days after taking over storied Brazilian club Botafogo, he has become a co-investor in Belgian club RWD Molenbeek.
Coronavirus: PSG cancel winter break in Qatar and Saudi
January 13 – Paris Saint-Germain have called off their winter camp in Qatar and friendly in Saudi Arabia because of the rise of coronavirus infections in France.
Asian and European initiatives celebrate a rich but often-hidden history of the women’s game
January 13 – Both the Asian Football Confederation and the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 Heritage Programme have launched historical retrospectives of the women’s game in their regions that chart its development and highlight its pioneers.
AFCON chaos as ref blows early in Mali vs Tunisia and gun battles rage in Bua
By Samindra Kunti
January 13 – Chaos dominated the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday: Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe was guilty of poor time-keeping during Mali vs Tunisia and in the city of Bua, the basecamp of both Mali and Gambia, a gun battle between rebel forces and government soldiers broke out, raising security concerns.
AFC sets Child Safeguarding Policy and pledges to implement across region
January 13 – The Asian Football Confederation has launched its first-ever AFC Child Safeguarding Policy.
Lemsagam bites the bullet as fan threats force him to put Oldham up for sale
January 13 – The owner of the bottom team in the entire English professional league pyramid, Oldham Athletic, says he has been sent threats and bullets through the post.
AFCON out of tune: wrong Mauritanian anthem played… three times
January 13 – The Africa Cup of Nations, already hit by refereeing blunders and even a gun battle, suffered another farcical moment on Wednesday as the wrong anthem was played three times for Mauritania ahead of their opening game against Gambia.