Pochettino takes reins at PSG with ‘attacking’ promise
January 4 – Just over a year after being shown the door by Tottenham Hotspur, Mauricio Pochettino is back in football as head coach at Paris St-Germain, his spiritual home.
ALK completes acquisition of Burnley
January 4 – The £120 million majority sale of Premier League Burnley to Velocity Sports Partners (VSP), the sports investment arm of ALK Capital, was completed just before the start of the New Year.
Word play. Cavani’s on-pitch brilliance blighted by social media blunder
January 4 – Manchester United’s Uruguayan international striker Edinson Cavani has completed the first of a three-match ban for a social media post containing a Spanish phrase that is offensive in some contexts but which has an acceptable interpretation in others.
2020: A football year indelibly marked by the Covid killer that refuses to go peacefully
By Andrew Warshaw
December 31 – Four hours before his team’s scheduled kick-off against Fulham on Wednesday night, Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho took to social media and remarked pointedly, “Match at 6 pm… We still don’t know if we play. Best league in the world.”
Israel’s Christmas Day bombing in Palestine delivers world football a political reminder
By Paul Nicholson
December 30 – Peace in our time? Not really if you are a Palestinian. While the UAE and Israeli signed high profile ‘peace’ agreements in September and even roped in their FA’s – overseen by FIFA president Gianni Infantino – to mirror the peace-pact with their own MoUs, the Israelis delivered a Christmas message to the beseiged Gaza strip via a bombing raid.
ALK closes in on £120m deal for Premier League Burnley
December 30 – A sixth Premier League club could come under US ownership this week with reports that ALK Capital are on the verge of completing their £120 million deal for Burnley.
Sports Integrity: How much do the world’s youth really care?
Last month SIGA appointed the first members of its youth council in a bid to give youth a real voice in the sports integrity debate and a wider social change. But do the world’s youth care? And if they do, what is that they care about. SIGA youth council member Anđelija Milovanović opens the discussion with Anton Klischewski, vice chair of the Sports Integrity Global Alliance Youth Council.
Mutating virus strikes Premier League amid calls for 2-week circuit break
December 30 – The Covid-19 pandemic, accelerated by a fast-spreading new variant of the virus, is threatening to decimate the English Premier League once again after a second fixture was called off at the 11th hour.
Ivory Coast FA appeals FIFA’s Xmas ‘normalisation’ gift at CAS
December 30 – The Ivory Coast FA (FIF) has lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against FIFA’s appointment of a normalisation committee in the country.
Infantino says FIFA is bringing ‘normality’ and Covid is ushering in competition change
December 30 – FIFA President Gianni Infantino says football has been a vital tool in helping the world deal with the terrible effects of the Covid-19 pandemic but has repeated his stance that a rethink is needed over how competitions are organised in the future.
Party boy Neymar organises 5-day Xmas bash for 500 at Rio mansion
December 30 – Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar has come under criticism for organising a secretive celebrity blowout near Rio de Janeiro with the coronavirus pandemic still raging across Brazil.
Ceferin slams Perez’s short term European Super League thinking
December 30 – UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has denounced Real Madrid boss Florentino Perez’s persistent backing for a breakaway European Super League saying the Spaniard “is only interested in today, not what tomorrow will be.”
Europe and Asia lead way to WWC2023 as FIFA add in 10-team qualifying tournament
December 30 – The expanded 32-team Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2023 will guarantee 11 direct slots to European nations and six to Asian nations.
FIFA cancels 2021 U-17 and U-20 men’s World Cups in Peru and Indonesia
December 30 – FIFA has cancelled its 2021 U-17 and U-20 men’s World Cups due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Bad bet: Atletico and England star Trippier gets 13-match worldwide ban
December 30 – England and Atletico Madrid defender Kieran Trippier has been given a 10-week worldwide ban and fined £70,000 after an English Football Association panel found he broke betting rules.