December 8 – The Confederation of African Football has dismissed rumours that next month’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) could be moved away from Cameroon following the recent discovery of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19.
December 8 – Fan-led review chair Tracey Crouch MP has responded to criticism, arguing that an independent regulator will help grow the English game.
December 8 – Major League Soccer has unveiled plans for the debut of its third tier league, MLS Next Pro, that will start play in 2022 with 21 clubs.
December 8 – England’s teenage midfield international Jude Bellingham has been fined €40,000 by the German Football Association for unsportsmanlike conduct after he criticised referee Felix Zwayer following his Borussia Dortmund team’s 3-2 defeat by Bayern Munich last weekend.
December 8 – AC Milan CEO Ivan Gazidis has defended a controversial plan to demolish the iconic San Siro and replace it with a €690 million stadium to ensure the club’s future.
December 8 – Jordan completed the line-up of the Arab Cup quarter-finals following a 5-1 victory against Palestine to clinch second spot ahead of Saudi Arabia in Group C.
December 8 – FIFA has rebranded its museum with a new name and new look, dropping the ‘world’ from its title to now become ‘FIFA Museum’. The change is subtle but it reflects the current administration’s change of attitude and policy towards its heritage project.
December 8 – Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa Conference League clash against Rennes on Thursday evening is expected to go ahead as scheduled despite a Covid outbreak in the London club’s ranks.
December 8 – Copa Libertadores champions Palmeiras have become the fifth Brazilian club to commit to launching an official Fan Token – $VERDAO – on the Socios.com app.
By Paul Nicholson
December 7 – Player values that have dropped on aggregate by 20% over the period of the coronavirus crisis have remained stagnant with few players having regained their pre-pandemic market values, according to an analysis of player market values by KPMG Football Benchmark.
December 7 – AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa (pictured) has emphasised the value of the confederation’s revamped financial assistance programmes saying that they will “empower” federations.
December 7 – The San Francisco 49ers American Football team reportedly have “a deal in place” to buy English Premier League club Leeds United.
December 7 – The president of Italian top-flight side Sampdoria is stepping down with immediate effect after being arrested for alleged involvement in fraudulent bankruptcy cases.
December 7 – Norwegian top-flight club Tromsø have produced an innovative team shirt featuring a QR code that puts the spotlight on human rights issues in Qatar with just under a year until the World Cup.
By Samindra Kunti
December 7 – Belgian football has banned away fans until the end of the year following a weekend of disorder across grounds, with incidents at Standard Liege and in the Antwerp derby.