Real Madrid and RB Leipzig focus on youth for new players. Spurs and Man City make top 20
December 8 – Real Madrid head a ranking of big-5 league clubs who recruit the youngest players to their squads, with an average age of 22.2 years.
UAE sheikh crosses the religious-political divide with 50% stake in Beitar Jerusalem
December 8 – One of the most unusual and surprising footballing acquisitions of recent years has taken place in Israel with a member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family purchasing a 50% stake in Beitar Jerusalem, the only club in the country’s top flight never to have fielded an Arab player.
Asian Champions League: Korean clubs eye semi-final places
December 8 – The chances of an all-Korean semi-final in the East zone of the AFC Champions League have increased with Ulsan Hyundai FC and Suwon Samsung Bluewings being drawn in opposite quarter finals, to be played on Thursday in Qatar.
Record entrants for FIFAe Club World Cup
December 8 – FIFA is reporting a record 480 teams entered into its FIFAe Club Series, a 150% increase on last season.
I-League readies for January kick off in Kolkata bubble
December 8 – The I-League has released its match calendar for the regular 2020-21 season with debutants Sudeva Delhi FC and Mohammedan SC contesting the campaign’s curtain raiser.
AFC plants a seed in eastern Europe with Sportklub broadcast deal deal
December 8 – The AFC has taken a significant step into eastern Europe’s broadcast market with United Media picking up the rights for Southeast Europe to the Asian confederation’s major national and club competitions.
News analysis: A year overflowing with Club World Cups
By Paul Nicholson
December 7 – Somewhat incredibly, perhaps incredulously, the much derided and unloved Club World Cup (at least by Europe’s clubs and more recently by FIFA itself), has survived to see another day, in fact two more days, in its current 7-team format.
No return: Infantino defends VAR saying people, not tech, are the problem
By Andrew Warshaw
December 7 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has leapt to the defence of VAR amid the chaos and confusion over marginal offside decisions and penalised accidental handballs that many feel are ruining the game as a spectacle.
Iniesta strikes as Vissel Kobe, Ulsan, and Beijing FC progress in ACL
December 7 – The Asian Champions League East Zone is continuing at pace in Qatar with last 16 matches (8 teams playing in the East Zone) completing today. Quarter finals will be played Thurday.
FIFA finds calendar space to squeeze in two editions of its Club World Cup in 2021
By Andrew Warshaw
December 4 – The Club World Cup, which many assumed would be a thing of the past in its current anachronistic guise following its next edition in Qatar in February, is being continued by FIFA with Gianni Infantino declaring the importance of defending the interests of the “global” club game.
NWSL’s Utah Royals look set for a move to Kansas
December 7 – The National Women’s Soccer League’s (NWSL) Utah Royals FC franchise will relocate to Kansas City, once the sale of the team is finalised, according to US media reports.
Bruised knees: Millwall’s boos condemned by FA, clubs and anti-discrimination groups
December 7 – England’s Football Association have condemned fans of Championship side Millwall for booing as players from their team and opponents Derby County took a knee before their league fixture at the weekend – on the day supporters were allowed back in limited numbers for the first time since March.
Concacaf given go-ahead to run triple match weekends for Qatar 2022 qualifiers
December 7 – Concacaf has been given the go-ahead by FIFA to have triple match international windows for its final group of World Cup qualifiers that need 14 match days to complete.
Qatar clear their calendar for 2021 with emphatic win over Bangladesh
December 7 – Qatar defeated Bangladesh 5-0 in the only Asian World Cup qualifier of 2020 to end the year on a high. Asian Player of the Year Akram Afif and Almoez Ali (pictured) starred, both scoring a brace.
Premier League agrees £200m loan to Championship clubs, and £50m gift to League One and Two
December 4 – After months of negotiations, the Premier League and English Football League, which covers the three division immediately below the top flight, have agreed a £250 million rescue package to help ease the financial burden on lower-league clubs caused by the coronavirus pandemic.