December 21 – England international forward Marcus Rashford, who famously forced the British government into a u-turn with his calls for free school meals to children from low-income families, has collected a special individual honour as a result of his work to raise awareness.
December 21 – With the debate over both concussion and dementia intensifying, the family of former England 1966 World Cup-winning midfielder Nobby Stiles say they have been told his brain was severely damaged by repeated heading of the ball.
December 21 – Xavi’s Al Sadd won the Amir Cup for a record 17th time defeating Al Arabia 2-1 to inaugurate the Al Rayyan Stadium, the fourth 2022 World Cup venue to be completed.
December 21 – City Football Group clubs Manchester City and Melbourne City have partnered with Animoca Brands for a range of new digital games and collectibles.
December 21 – Rafael Leao scored the fastest goal in Serie A history – and across Europe’s top leagues – as AC Milan netted after just six seconds at Sassuolo on Sunday.
December 21 – Paris St Germain manager Thomas Tuchel (pictured) has questioned the absence of Marquinhos from last week’s FIFA XI Team of the Year, claiming that the Brazilian should have been included.
December 21 – Premier League Everton have traded on their Colombian links of James Rodriguez and Yerry Mina with the club’s first sponsorship from the country.
December 18 – Russia’s participation in the 2022 World Cup has been plunged into jeopardy after a landmark ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) banning the country from using its name, flag and anthem at the next two Olympics or any world championships for the next two years.
December 18 – Al Sadd and Al Arabi will meet tonight in the final of the Amir Cup to inaugurate the Al Rayyan Stadium, one of eight venues for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
By Paul Nicholson
December 18 – The Premier League has renewed its broadcast rights partnership with beIN SPORTS for the Middle East and North Africa region for a new three-year terms running through to 2025.
December 18 – Conmebol has said that it will organise the women’s Copa America every two years from 2022 onwards. The organisation’s president Alejandro Dominguez has also proposed an intercontinental club championship for the women’s game.
December 18 – Potentially as many as 12,000 fans could be allowed into the Al Janoub stadium in Qatar on Saturday to watch the AFC Champions League final between Iranian giants Persepolis and South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 18 – La Liga has it, so does the Bundesliga, Serie A and France’s Ligue1. But the self-interested, blinkered approach of half of England’s top-flight clubs has once again been starkly exposed after they rejected for the third time a proposal to re-introduce five substitutes per team per game for the remainder of the season.
December 18 – English Premier League clubs have agreed to make up to two concussion substitutions per match from next month in a radical new rule change to protect players from serious head injury.
