By Andrew Warshaw
September 7 – As footballing u-turns go, they don’t come much more spectacular. Just as millions of fans worldwide were in the throes of anticipating where Lionel Messi might end up after he dropped the bombshell that he wanted to leave his beloved Barcelona, so the Argentine maestro changed his mind and said he was staying after all.
September 7 – SIGA chairman Franco Frattini kicked off the Sports Integrity Week of webinars with a strong call to action to all stakeholders in sports to be uncompromising in the battle against criminality.
September 7 – With the Serie A season imminent, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has voiced his concern over fans attending matches, arguing that it would be inappropriate at the present time.
September 9 – Moneyball guru Billy Beane (pictured) has acquired a minority share in Dutch top-flight club AZ Alkmaar. He previously held an advisory role at the Eredivisie outfit.
September 7 – Luis Rubiales is certain to be re-elected as Spanish FA president for another four years after emerging as the sole candidate to stand in elections later this month.
September 7 – The ongoing pandemic has left a big mark on the world of sports, in general, and football, in particular. When the lockdowns were still in full effect, the Football Association floated the idea of suspending the Premier League season completely – an idea rejected by several English football teams, considering that it would’ve pushed them to the brink of bankruptcy.
September 7 – FIFA’s top ranked national team Belgium have renewed their kit partnership with Adidas, taking them through to 2026.
September 7 – Chocolate brand Cadbury has added a fourth Premier League club to its sponsorship roster, becoming Liverpool’s first Official Global Chocolate Partner.
October 4 – SIGA has released the programme for its first Sport Integrity Week, taking place next week September 7 to 11.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 4 – In a move that took most of the footballing world by surprise, the English Premier League has pulled the plug on its overseas television deal with Chinese broadcaster PPTV – with immediate effect and after just one season.
September 4 – Reports of discrimination across all levels of professional football in England and Wales rose by an alarming 42% last season despite the campaign being halted for months due to Covid-19.
By Samindra Kunti
September 4 – In a dramatic few weeks for Indian football, East Bengal look set to become the 11th franchise in the 2020/21 ISL season. The Kolkata giants have secured a new investor in the club, Shree Cement, which could propel them towards ISL entry as organisers ISDL issued invitations to bid for a new franchise.
September 4 – The row over the premature ending of France’s 2019/20 Ligue 1 season is rumbling on with Olympique Lyonnais (OL) demanding €117.7 million in compensation.
September 4 – The new French season has been plunged into further chaos after defending champions Paris St Germain announced three more positive cases of COVID-19 in their squad, 24 hours after unconfirmed reports that Brazilian superstar Neymar was one of them following a holiday in Ibiza.
September 4 – Germany’s professional clubs want to welcome back a limited number of fans in the new Bundesliga season, but league boss Christian Seifert has admitted that it will be “a demanding and difficult season.”