Covid fearing German team watch from a safe distance as they are hammered 37-0
September 18 – A German amateur team lost 37-0 to their local rivals after fielding only seven players who socially distanced throughout because of Covid-19.
eToro buys into Saints and Leicester for another season
September 18 – Trading platform eToro has renewed sponsorships with Premier League clubs Southampton and Leicester City for the 2020/21 season in one-year deals.
Parimatch expand football footprint with global Juventus deal
September 18 – Online gaming company Parimatch has stepped up its football sponsorship profile with a new deal with Italian giants Juventus.
Crypto platform StormGain signs long term Lazio deal
September 18 – Cryptocurrency trading platform StormGain has become the Official Crypto Trading Partner of Serie A’s Lazio in a multi-year deal.
Iran puts Asian Cup 2027 bid in jeopardy as state TV pirates ACL, and FA faces integrity crisis
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.
Juve post €71.4m loss, despite wage cuts, saying there is more red ink to come
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.
FIFA’s Covid-cash boss says football will lose $14bn in revenue during pandemic
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.
EFL to pilot return of 1,000 fans at 8 matches this weekend
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.
Coronavirus: UEFA postpones and reformats women’s, futsal and U-19 comps
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.
Arsenal agree deal with crypo-based online bookie Sportsbet.io
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.
UEFA’s return to Nations League action keeps Belgium on top of FIFA rankings
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.
Neymar given 2-match ban but French will investigate racial abuse accusation
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.
Leicester City and W88 roll the dice for another season
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.
FIFA signs anti-corruption MoU with UN but suspicions of reputation cleansing linger
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.
Israel’s Beitar for sale with buyer reportedly from UAE
September 16 – Beitar Jerusalem have confirmed they are in talks with a potential investor from the United Arab Emirates following days of speculation.