AS Monaco signs on-line gambler VBET two-year deal
August 20 – Ligue 1’s AS Monaco have signed online bookmaker VBET as a partner in a two-year deal.
FIFA opens up Jan-Feb 2020 window to ease pressure on 2022 World Cup qualifiers
By Samindra Kunti
August 19 – In the latest modification to the international match calendar, FIFA has replaced the September fixtures window with a new window at the end of January 2022 for all confederations with the exception of UEFA.
Koeman quits Dutch job to take-over at Barca with two-year deal; Messi staying
August 19 – Ronald Koeman has quit as boss of the Netherlands to become the new head coach of Barcelona two days after the club sacked Quique Setien following that humiliating 8-2 Champions League drubbing by Bayern Munich that stunned world football.
PSG knock the wings off RB Leipzig to secure CL final spot
August 19 – It took them 110 games in the competition stretching back several years to get this far.
Dortmund catches Covid reporting a €44m loss as match day and transfer revenues hit
By Paul Nicholson
August 18 – German giants Borussia Dortmund have reported a loss of €43.9 million for the 2019/20 financial year ending June 30 on revenues of €486.9 million. The club had reported a €17 million profit in 2018/19.
Demba Ba calls on football to boycott Chinese over abuse of Uighur muslims
August 19 – Former Senegal and English Premier League striker Demba Ba has called on football’s stakeholders to condemn China’s treatment of Uighur muslims, whatever the financial cost in terms of broadcast deals and player contracts.
Atalanta trade up with Plus500 taking over shirt sponsorship
August 19 – Serie A’s Atalanta, whose fairy tale journey to the quarter finals of the Champions League was ended in the dieing minutes by PSG, has found consolation with a new main club sponsor.
LaLiga’s Granada renews Winamax short deal as appeal against gambling ad ban goes to EU
August 19 – Despite the strong threat of LaLiga’s clubs being prevented earning sponsorship income from the gaming and betting sector, another club has announced an online gambler as its main shirt sponsor.
England opens doors for return of fans to non-league stadia
August 19 – With so many grassroots clubs in danger of going out of business, English football’s lower non-league divisions will be allowed a limited number of fans after the government updated its guidance on recreational team sport events.
French Ligue 1 new season in turmoil as Covid cases force Marseilles to call off opener
August 18 – The start of the new French domestic season scheduled for this Friday has been plunged into turmoil by Covid-19 after Olympique de Marseille said they had confirmed four cases of the virus and had their game against St Etienne called off.
Lyon shares enjoy bounce after upsetting Guardiola’s City
By David Owen
August 18 – Michel Platini once told me that he would be annoyed if one day, when asked how their club had got on, football fans replied that the shares had gone up, rather than giving the result of a match.
Barca fire Setien with Koeman favourite to lead a Catalan revival
By Andrew Warshaw
August 18 – It was a controversial appointment from the start and, after last Friday’s debacle, arguably football’s most inevitable instant sacking.
Kompany swaps shirt for tracksuit as he formally takes over as Anderlecht head coach
August 18 – Former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has finally hung up his playing boots to become head coach at Anderlecht.
New-ish faces in UEFA’s final four mask increased competitive polarisation of Big 5
August 18 – The telescoping of the UEFA club competition final rounds to a mini-knockout competition and the impact of Covid-19 has seen some surprise results but in reality has also served to emphasise the polarisation of European around the Big 5 leagues, according to research by KPMG Football Benchmark.
Big talking Texan Dan Friedkin rides into Rome with promises of global glory
August 18 – Texas-based Italian-American billionaire Dan Friedkin (pictured), the new owner of Roma, has promised to turn the club into “one of the greatest names in world football” after completing his €591 million purchase of an 86.6% majority stake.