Belgians keep option of retaining an 18-team top tier open
December 15 – Belgian football has postponed a decision to temporarily maintain an 18-team league format until January following a general assembly of the Pro League.
Barca vs PSG, Liverpool vs RB Leipzig, Atletico vs Chelsea are pick of Champions League round of 16
December 14 – Barcelona will face Paris St Germain in a mouth-watering heavyweight clash of the Champions League round of 16 while title holders Bayern Munich are up against Italy’s Lazio following today’s draw.
Ulsan Hyundai secure extra time win to set up ACL final against Persepolis
December 14 – South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai came from behind to defeat Japan’s Vissel Kobe 2-1 after extra time at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Qatar on Sunday to win the East zone of the Asian Champions League (ACL). They now face Iranian giants Persepolis next Saturday in final.
Europe mourns passing of Gerard Houllier, aged 73
By Andrew Warshaw
December 14 – Former French head coach and Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier, one of the most knowledgeable, astute and widely respected figures of his generation, has died aged 73, prompting a string a tributes from across the footballing world.
Mediapro cuts LFP ties with €100m pay-off and closes Teléfoot channel
December 14 – The Professional Football League (LFP) and Mediapro have reached an agreement to part ways with the Spanish agency paying €100 million in compensation.
FIFA take control of Haiti to put end to Jean-Bart interference
December 14 – FIFA has appointed a normalisation committee for the Haitian Football Association after it found “strong indications” that the federation’s disgraced former president Yves Jean-Bart is still exerting his influence despite being banned for life last month following multiple accusations of systematic sexual abuse of female players.
Ukraine appeal to CAS over covid 3-pointer that forced relegation
December 14 – Ukraine have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against UEFA’s decision to award Switzerland a 3-0 walkover win in last month’s Nations League clash between the sides as a result of positive Covid-19 tests in the Ukrainian camp.
Saudis deliver 2027 Asian Cup Bid Book as campaign takes off
December 14 – Having met with AFC President Shaikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa and AFC General Secretary Dato’ Windsor John on Sunday in Bahrain, the Saudi AFC Asian Cup 2027 bid team officially delivered their Bid Book to AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.
English-born Premier League managers have been in the minority for 10 years
December 14 – In the top five European leagues, the Premier League has the lowest representation of domestic managers at 27%, a report by RunRepeat highlights.
Brazil stays top of football’s drug violations table
By David Owen
December 14 – Footballers in Brazil were again more likely to pick up anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs) than those in any other country, according to statistics relating to samples collected in 2018 made public this month by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Birch swaps Spurs for EFL chief exec role
December 14 – The English Football League has appointed one of the country’s most sought-after and widely-travelled administrators, Trevor Birch (pictured), as its new chief executive.
Kenyan media blackout of FKF Premier League after reporters banned
December 14 – Kenyan media are boycotting the country’s top flight in response to authorities there selectively banning individual journalists from selected games.
FIFA and Infantino fury at Swiss prosecutor’s referral of private jet flight for criminal probe
By Andrew Warshaw
December 11 – Gianni Infantino’s increasingly bitter war with the Swiss justice authorities over whether he is guilty of corruption has taken another significant twist with a special prosecutor recommending a criminal investigation against the FIFA President for using a private jet in 2017.
Concacaf boosts women’s calendar with two major event launches and ‘guest’ invites
By Paul Nicholson
December 11 – Concacaf, whose member associations have so often trailblazed in the women’s game, has restructured its senior women’s national teams calendar “with the aim of transforming women’s national team football across the entire confederation”.
Euro Leagues body calls on UEFA for more ‘solidarity’ over Champions League payouts
By Andrew Warshaw
December 11 – The umbrella body representing all of Europe’s major leagues has re-iterated its concern over the Continent’s financial haves and have-nots and has urged UEFA to hand more of its Champions League cash to those not participating in its elite competition.