By Paul Nicholson
September 17 – A row in Iran over broadcast rights and the piracy of the current round of Asian Champions League matches has escalated to complaints of political interference – from the Iranian government – and now looks likely to seriously impact the country’s chances of winning the bid to host the 2027 Asian Cup.
September 17 – A week after European Club Association chair and Juventus boss Andrea Agnelli warned of a two year €4 billion Covid cash crisis for clubs, his own team have announced a third year of losses.
September 17 – Football across the world will lose out on about $14 billion in revenue because of the effects of Covid-19, according to the official who leads the organisation’s coronavirus relief fund.
September 17 – Clubs in the English Football League will be allowed to welcome up to 1,000 fans for matches this weekend in a pilot preceding the planned return of spectators from October 1 in England.
September 17 – UEFA has pushed back women’s, futsal and youth competitions to November amid a calendar re-organisation that will also see a number of championship format changes.
September 17 – Arsenal have agreed a three-year deal with Estonian cryptocurrency-based sports betting platform Sportsbet.io to be the club’s Official Betting Partner.
September 17 – In the first set of FIFA rankings since the Coronavirus pandemic suspended fixtures globally in March, Belgium have retained their position at the top with Portugal moving into the top five following this month’s Nations League fixtures.
September 17 – Paris St-Germain’s Brazilian superstar Neymar has been banned for two games for his part in the brawl at the end of the fiery Ligue 1 game against arch-rivals Marseille last weekend.
September 17 – Online gaming company W88 has extended its sponsorship with Premier League Leicester City to the end of the current 2020/21 season. No value was given for the deal.
By Paul Nicholson
September 16 – FIFA has signed a memorandum of understanding with anti-corruption agency, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) “to step up their joint cooperation to address threats posed by crime to sport,” said a FIFA press release.
September 16 – Beitar Jerusalem have confirmed they are in talks with a potential investor from the United Arab Emirates following days of speculation.
September 16 – Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Conmebol has maintained October’s World Cup qualifying fixtures following consultation with FIFA.
September 16 – Australia has revised the collective bargaining agreement for its players, leading to pay-cuts for both the men’s and women’s national teams due to the economic ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic.
September 16 – Home fans in stadia does not create a major advantage for the host team, according to a new report that examined results of matches in the Covid fan-free world.
September 16 – FIFA’s former number two Jerome Valcke told the second day of his tv rights corruption trial how he had struggled “with no income” since losing his job as Sepp Blatter’s right-hand man.