Premier League registers further drop in number of covid positive tests
January 26 – The English Premier League has confirmed eight positive coronavirus cases were recorded in the latest batch of testing – half the number recorded last week.
Senegal’s Senghor puts himself at front of race for CAF presidency
January 26 – Senegal’s Augustin Senghor has taken the bold step of declaring himself as favourite to win the increasingly bitter election race to become the new Confederation of African (CAF) president in succession to the disgraced Ahmad Ahmad.
SIGA Youth Forum releases full agenda and speakers for Jan. 27 opening
January 26 – The first SIGA Youth Forum kicks off tomorrow (January 27) with more than 35 speakers from the sports world contributing to 12 webinar sessions.
Defensa y Justicia win all-Argentinean battle for Copa Sudamericana
January 26 – Hernan Crespo and Defensa y Justicia clinched their first ever international title with a 3-0 victory against Lanus in the Copa Sudamericana final.
MLS sets new season dates but still has to agree wage deal with players
January 26 – The 26th season of the Major League Soccer (MLS) will kick off on April 3 and conclude in November, though player wage negotiations still hang as a cloud over the competition.
Swiss prosecutor considers appealing Al-Khelaifi and Valcke judgements
January 26 – Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi (pictured) and former FIFA number two Jérôme Valcke will find out imminently whether Swiss prosecutors are to appeal against them both being acquitted of criminal misconduct, according to French media.
San Francisco 49ers touch down in Leeds with bigger stake and even bigger plans
By Paul Nicholson
January 25 – NFL team San Francisco 49ers have bumped up their stake in Premier League Leeds United from 15% to 37% in a deal that reportedly values the club at £250-280 million.
Barca, Real and Bayern top money league as covid kicks off club revenue decline
By David Owen
January 26 – Revenues at Europe’s Top 20 clubs were down 12% in 2019-20 as covid began to disrupt the industry, according to the latest Football Money League produced by Deloitte, the professional services firm.
AFC shifts 2021 age group championships but stays focussed on Champions League draw
By Paul Nicholson
January 25 – The AFC has cancelled its cancelled the U-16 Championship Bahrain 2020 and U-19 Championship Uzbekistan 2020 that it had initially hoped to be able to rearrange for 2021.
End of a icon. Chelsea boot Lampard into the stands
November 25 – Chelsea’s notorious policy of impatience and short-termism is back in the spotlight after the club sacked Frank Lampard as manager.
Turkish delight: Ozil leaves Arsenal on a free for cash-strapped Fenerbahce
By Andrew Warshaw
January 25 – He cost almost £42 million when he moved to Arsenal over seven years ago, then a club record, helped Germany win the World Cup, earned an eye-watering weekly fortune but has now been transferred for precisely nothing.
Bayern’s Manuel Neuer breaks Oliver Khan’s clean sheet record
January 25 – Bayern Munich’s German international goalkeeper Manuel Neuer set a new Bundesliga record with the 197th clean sheet of his career in Sunday’s 4-0 win over Schalke.
Serie B’s Pisa is latest Italian club to move into foreign ownership
January 25 – Alexander Knaster, an Anglo-American tycoon of Russian origin, has acquired a 75% stake in Italian Serie B side Pisa Sporting Club.
CAF bans Kenyan bosses after refusing to allow players to take covid tests
January 25 – The Confederation of African Football has banned two Football Kenya Federation (FKF) officials for six months after they were found guilty of breaching Covid-19 rules during the country’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Comoros in November.
AFC builds on Konami renewal to cover national team and club competitions
January 25 – The AFC has renewed and expanded its deal with video game maker Konami Digital Entertainment across national team and club competitions for the 2021-2024 rights cycle.