City win first trophy of season as Manchester returns to Wembley
August 12 – Manchester City avenged their FA Cup defeat by Manchester United at Wembley on Saturday, securing the first silverware of the season with a Community Shield victory.
Match-fixing threat leaps in Conmebol region with 200% increase in suspicious matches identified
August 9 – Betting related match-fixing is on the increase in South America, according to the latest six-monthly data from sports integrity specialists Starlizard Integrity Services (SIS) who tracked 36,841 matches in the 1 January and 30 June 2024 period.
Former director warns organised crime has a grip of Brazil’s Corinthians
August 9 – Former director Rubens Gomes has said that organised crime is infiltrating Corinthians after police interrogated him over the breakdown of the club’s partnership with Vaidebet.
Transfer talk: High spending Hammers nail key targets
August 9 – West Ham have been busy in the transfer market this week, securing three top deals in the form of Niclas Fullkrug (€27 million from BVB), Crysencio Summerville (€30 million from Leeds) and Guido Rodriguez on a free from Real Betis.
A week in social media
August 9 – In a week filled with drama on and off the pitch, social media has once again become the landscape for football’s ongoing narratives. From Galactico linkups to pickpocket parties, here are our top five social media posts that captured the world’s attention and set the footballing community abuzz.
France and Spain turn Olympic final into battle of Europe’s giants, Morocco take bronze
August 9 – Host nation France, led by its manager Thierry Henry, take on Spain today in the Olympic football final in a bid to secure a first Olympic gold medal since 1984.
US line up for Brazil blockbuster as gruelling schedule reaches its Olympic finale
August 9 – Ahead of the football final between the United States and Brazil, American manager Emma Hayes has called on a review of the Olympic football tournament, citing player welfare.
Sony keeps its PlayStation brand front and centre of Champions League sponsorship
August 8 – Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has added another three years to its UEFA sponsorship of the Champions League which it uses to promote its PlayStation brand of products.
Godfather of African football, Issa Hayatou, dies aged 77
August 9 – Issa Hayatou, one of the most influential figures in the world of football politics and known as the Godfather of African football after reigning for 29 years, has died aged 77 whilst attending the Paris Olympics.
Bayern Munich’s Hoeness calls expanded international calendar ‘madness’
August 9 – Bayern Munich’s honorary president Uli Hoeness is the latest figure to denounce the expansion of the footballing calendar – taking aim at UEFA as well as FIFA.
FC Shkupi books in Pasha Group for shirt sponsorship
August 9 – North Macedonian FC Shkupi has agreed a sponsorship with the Pasha Group hotel chain who will take the front of shirt logo position for the coming season.
Anfield wired up for new season
August 8 – Extreme Networks, a leading name in cloud networking, has completed the installation of a state-of-the-art high-speed Wi-Fi network at Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium.
Barca feed on cash for new signings from Aramark catering supplier
August 8 – FC Barcelona have managed to distance themselves from the danger of breaking LaLiga’s financial fair play rules with the signing of a deal with their US catering supplier Aramark who will pick up the debt owed by Libero.
Saudi 2034 bid under fire for its ‘mega polluting’ proposals
August 8 – Rights group Fossil Free Football has called Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup plans ‘mega polluting’ after FIFA released the country’s bid book last week.
French Ligue2 clubs grow opposition to Friday night match scheduling
August 8 – The decision to reschedule French Ligue 2 fixtures from Saturday evenings to Friday nights has sparked an increasing backlash, with USL Dunkerque becoming the latest club to voice its concerns.