Inside World Football - Page 681 of 2160 - For the Business of Football

Coronavirus: Arsenal women’s boss unleashes on players who winter-breaked in UAE

January 15 – Another trip to the Gulf by British-based players, another Covid controversy. Following an apology by Scottish champions Celtic for having undertaken a warm-weather trip to Dubai that led to a spate of positive cases, the manager of the Arsenal Women’s team, Joe Montemurro , says the club will not tolerate coronavirus protocol breaches after confirming three players went to the United Arab Emirates during the Women’s Super League winter break.

Europe

Euro 2020 12-city plan looks shaky as Covid spread sparks debate on venue reduction

By Andrew Warshaw

January 14 – Having already been postponed for a year because of the coronavirus pandemic, doubts are beginning to set in as to whether Euro 2020 can be played under its current 12-venue, pan-Continental format next summer.

FIFA

FIFA lifts lid on Haitian Jean-Bart’s reign of terror and sexual abuse

January 14 – The shocking scale of the sexual abuse carried out by the former boss of Haitian football, Yves Jean-Bart, has been laid bare by the full report of his transgressions released by FIFA.

South America

Palmeiras and Santos set up all-Brazilian Copa Libertadores final

January 14 – Sao Paulo giants Palmeiras and Santos will decide the 2020 Copa Libertadores after eliminating River Plate and Boca Juniors in the last four, making the showpiece match an all-Brazilian affair for the first time since 2006.

Europe

Candidates line up for April election to UEFA’s top table

January 14 – Nine candidates will stand for eight seats in the UEFA executive committee, with Russia relinquishing their spot in the FIFA Council, the European governing body announced on Thursday.

Newcastle United’s Ashley renews demand for answers over thwarted Saudi deal

January 14 – The long-tailed but failed £300 million Newcastle United takeover bid led by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIP) that ended in floods of tears last July, might not be dead in the water. Certainly there is renewed pressure on the Premier League to further explain why it failed to approve the new ownership.

Football Marketing

Sportradar picks up official AFC data rights in 8-year deal

January 14 – Sportradar has taken over as the official video and data distribution partner for the Asian Football Confederation’s national and club competitions, in an eight-year agreement running from 2021 to 2028.

Concacaf

Hope Solo says more action needed to close gender wage gap

Hope Solo

January 14 – Former US women’s international goalkeeper Hope Solo says the current national team are not doing nearly enough in their quest for equal pay.

Europe

England medical chief reinforces ‘no contact’ message

January 14 – England’s deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam, who has emerged as the public’s most respected Covid expert with his clear-thinking, independent and sensible views in contrast to the government’s mixed messages, is the latest figure to warn footballers to avoid over-celebrating goals.

Coronavirus

Celtic boss apologises for team’s Dubai winter break as Covid grips squad

January 14 – Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell has apologised to supporters after admitting that embarking on a warm-weather training camp in Dubai at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic was a mistake.

Integrity

Rapinoe links Trump comments and Capitol Hill riots to white supremacy politics

January 14 – Outspoken US star Megan Rapinoe, one of the most powerful and popular voices in the game and a long-standing critic of Donald Trump, says last week’s pro-Trump riots on Capitol Hill were “a huge stain” on her country.

FIFA

FifaGate fraudster Vasquez to be extradited to face US justice

Reynaldo Vasquez

January 13 – Former El Salvador FA president Reynaldo Vasquez will be extradited to the United States to face charges of bribery and money laundering for his part in the FifaGate corruption scandals.

FIFA

Swiss court rules FIFA out of access to Infantino criminal investigation case files

January 13 – Gianni Infantino has suffered a potentially significant setback in his bid to clear his name over alleged criminal misconduct after the Swiss Federal Criminal Court barred FIFA from being involved in ongoing proceedings over those infamous unrecorded dealings between Infantino and former attorney general Michael Lauber.

Finance

Southampton losses widen to £76m

By David Owen

January 13 – Southampton, the south coast club enjoying a strong season under Austrian manager Ralph Hasenhüttl, have become the latest Premier League side to report a big loss for the covid-impacted 2019-20 financial year.

Broadcast

French league crisis deepens as Canal+ hands rights back saying league is ‘devalued’

January 13 – In another major blow to French football, broadcaster Canal+ will return the Ligue 1 media rights to the LFP, demanding a new tender is issued.