Man City move to create digital asset value with Animoc brands deal
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.
AC Milan’s Leao sets European record with goal in 6.2 seconds
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.
Tuchel questions Marquinos’ FIFA XI omission and wonders what’s best for player health
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.
Rodriguez and Mina score for Everton in Colombian market with Rushbet deal
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.
CAS doping ban could keep ‘Russia’ out of Qatar 2022 – unless they reached the final
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.
Qatar debut fourth World Cup 2022 venue with Al Rayyan hosting Amir Cup final
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.
beIN holds on to Premier League rights with reported $500m 3-year renewal
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.
Conmebol boost women’s game with bi-annual Copa America and new club competition
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.
Fan ban lifted for showpiece AFC Champions League final in Qatar
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.
Premier League clubs reject 5 subs rule for third time
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.
Premier League to allow two concussion subs per game
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.
eChampions League to kick off qualifiers in February, prize pool set at $280K
December 18 – The 2021 eChampions League will start in February and culminate with the final to be played the day before the UEFA Champions League final in Istanbul. Prize money has been set at €280,000.
Covid concerns force UEFA to cancel U-17 men and women Euros set for May 2021
December 18 – The 2021 men’s and women’s U-17 European Championships have been cancelled by UEFA due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Spurs follow Barca and turn on to Twitch with official channel
December 18 – Twitch is rapidly becoming the newest must-have ‘broadcast’ channel for clubs, with Premier League Tottenham Hotspur launching their service on Wednesday. LaLiga’s Barcelona announced they were migrating new content to a Twitch last week.