Belgium’s Deinze folds after court declares club bankrupt
December 12 – Following the failed takeover of ADA Group, Belgian second-division club KMSK Deinze has been declared bankrupt by a local court in Ghent.
Sports Illustrated takes naming rights to New York Red Bull’s stadium in 13-year deal
December 12 – New York Red Bulls (NYRB) have entered into a ground-breaking 13-year naming rights agreement that will see their home rebranded from Red Bull Arena to Sports Illustrated Stadium, effective immediately.
Player trading: Lille and Ajax deal smart, PSG and Man Utd are world’s traders
December 12 – French Ligue1 side LOSC Lille have the highest positive player trading balance in the world, at +€384m, according to a ranking of the monetary balance of transfer transactions covering non-academy players signed since 2015. PSG have the worst trading record.
Flamengo release designs for planned new 80,000 capacity stadium
December 12 – Last month, Brazilian Serie A club Flamengo took a major step towards realising a dream decades in the making. Club officials met with representatives from the city of Rio de Janeiro at Flamengo’s Gávea headquarters to sign an agreement that will pave the way for the construction of a state-of-the-art, almost 80,000-seat stadium in the Gasômetro area, with visuals of the project made available this week for the first time.
Women’s football attendances leap 38% overtaking 130-year old Rugby League
December 12 – Women’s football in the UK is booming, having shown year-on-year growth of nearly 38%, leading to larger, and more consistent, crowds than ever before, according to a report by ad agency Two Circles.
UEFA hits Serbia with fines and stadium restrictions after fans refuse to obey rules
December 12 – UEFA has fined the Football Association of Serbia (FSS) €173,000, partially closed the stands for the next two home matches, and banned the sale of tickets to fans for the next two away matches after a number of offenses during games against Switzerland and Denmark in the Nations League last month.
AFC lands Sport 24 deal for further 5 years
December 12 – Sport 24, the live sports channel distributed to airline and cruise markets, has renewed its deal with the AFC through to 2028.
MLS keeps faith in draft with 44 players in San Diego for first look college showcase
December 12 – The road to Major League Soccer (MLS) once primarily ran through the collegiate system in the form of a draft. Now clubs have deeper pockets, and look towards different pastures, however, the MLS College Showcase can still turn up a nugget or two.
AC Milan turn to Tiffany for Hall of Fame trophy
December 12 – Italian giants, AC Milan, would like to see themselves as the ‘Tiffany’ club in Italian and world football, and they may well have succeeded in a new partnership with luxury jeweller Tiffany & Co.
FIFA’s federations clap through 6-nation 2030 bid and Saudi Arabia to 2034 World Cup hosting
December 11 – The formality is now reality. At a virtual meeting of FIFA member federations today and despite widespread human rights concerns, Saudi Arabia were officially granted 2034 World Cup host status by acclamation while 2030 went to six nations across three Continents in the most contentious and murky bidding process in recent history.
FIFA sets dates and confederation qualifying slots for 2027 WWC in Brazil
December 11 – The 2027 Women’s World Cup will be played from 24 June to 25 July that year, world governing body FIFA confirmed on Tuesday following a meeting of its Council.
Argentine FA bans one ref and suspends six others as match-fixing probe deepens
December 11 – The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has banned referee Matías Beares following his involvement in match-fixing.
FIFA paying Miami school fees for its $4.67m president’s daughter
December 11 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who has evaded criminal prosecution in Switzerland after public prosecutor investigations were withdrawn after months of investigations, is now under pressure in his home country for the expenses he draws from FIFA.
Guardiola looks towards his golf clubs, saying Man City is his last club job
December 11 – Elite clubs hoping to perhaps woo Pep Guardiola after his Manchester City days can think again after the Spaniard announced City will be his final managerial job in club football.
Norwegians slam World Cup ‘fix’ and question whether FIFA is fit for purpose
December 11 – The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) and its president Lise Klaveness have blasted FIFA and its World Cup plans, arguing that “the bidding process undermines good governance and reform”.