AFC to centralise final qualifying groups for Asian Cup China 2023
October 20 – The final group qualifiers to fill the remaining 11 slots for the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 will now be played as single round robin ties at centralised venues.
UEFA issues tender for Champions League cryptocurrency partner
October 20 – UEFA has opened up a new cryptocurrency rights category, inviting bids for the licensing rights to the Champions League for the 2021-24 cycle.
FIFA strips Globo of digital rights as it opens up its Brazilian media packages
October 20 – Brazilian broadcast giant TV Globo has lost exclusivity to the digital rights for the 2022 World Cup, with FIFA breaking out streaming rights and offering packages to Youtube, Facebook and TikTok.
Wolves bring in new US shareholder with PEAK6 acquiring minority stake
October 20 – US finance and technology firm PEAK6 has bought a minority stake in Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers via Wolves holding company Fosun Sports.
Premier League reports boost in vaccination rates but still lags behind in Europe
October 20 – The Premier League has announced that 68% of players in the English top flight have been fully vaccinated, with 81% of players having received at least one dose, confirming a significant increase in uptake recently.
Conmebol sets prices high for Copa Libertadores showpiece in Montevideo
October 20 – Flamengo and Palmeiras fans will have to splash the cash to attend the 2021 Copa Libertadores final in Montevideo, Uruguay. South American governing body Conmebol has set ticket prices for November’s showpiece match between $200 to $650.
David Owen: The FIFA statutes and the battle over a biennial World Cup
October 19 – It is hard to think that the FIFA statutes will not at some point come into play in the ongoing manoeuvrings over a two-yearly World Cup.
Premier League hit Newcastle United in the wallet with block on Saudi sponsorships
October 18 – Premier League clubs have voted to block new Newcastle sponsorship deals with companies linked to the club’s new owners.
Forget the Olympics, Ellis champions biennial WWC as a self-sustaining opportunity
By Andrew Warshaw
October 19 – A biennial Women’s World Cup will help “shine a light” on the sport and help it “stand alone” in terms of visibility and investment but is not a foregone conclusion according to former US head coach Jill Ellis.
Canada’s quiet football revolution is getting noisier – just ask Edmonton
By Paul Nicholson
October 19 – Football in Canada is crossing a threshold. With a Gold medal at the Olympics for the women’s team and the men’s team showing they are real contenders for a 2022 World Cup slot, there is a positivity you can almost touch coming from the country that so often lives in the sporting shadow of the US, and, in football terms, Mexico.
Infantino says World Cups every year would spread hosting and even-out wealth
October 19 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino is continuing to bang the drum for a biennial World Cup, this time promoting the idea at a news conference in Buenos Aires where, he claimed, the proposal would help spread funds more fairly and away from handful of super clubs.
EU court to examine homegrown player quotas after Antwerp complaint
October 19 – The European Court of Justice will examine UEFA and Belgium’s quota for homegrown players and its compliance with the freedom of labour and competition law following a lawsuit by Royal Antwerp.
UEFA close Wembley gates for next England game and issue €100k fine
October 19 – English hopes of staging the World Cup in 2030 have been dealt a potentially damaging blow after UEFA slapped a stadium ban on the country following the disgraceful scenes that marred the Euro 2020 final against Italy.
Expanded Futsal Euros hand Dutch hosts tough draw
October 19 – Hosts the Netherlands have been drawn alongside world and European champions Portugal as well Ukraine and Serbia/Belarus in the draw for Euro 2022.
UEFA Nations League finals smash TV viewing and social media records
October 19 – UEFA is reporting that its just completed Nations League final tournament in Italy delivered a 30% growth in TV audience figures from the inaugural edition in 2019, helo in Portugal.