December 11 – No sooner had he guided Napoli into the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday than Carlo Ancelotti, one of Europe’s most successful coaches, was sacked .
By Andrew Warshaw
December 10 – Quick to point the finger at football-fuelled racism elsewhere in Europe, the English game is going through a period of intense soul-searching following a spate of instances over the weekend from the Premier League to the fourth tier, one of the alleged culprits being as young as 13 years old.
December 10 – A Spanish court has cleared 36 players and five others of match-fixing relating to a top-flight survival decider between Levante and Real Zaragoza in the final round of the 2010-11 season.
By David Owen in Lausanne
December 10 – The bizarre spectacle of a Russian football team qualifying for the 2022 World Cup as Russia, but then being obliged to assume a neutral guise in the finals was conjured up on Monday at a press conference featuring leading figures from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in the bowels of a Swiss hotel.
December 10 – Organisers of the Club World Cup, which kicks off on Wednesday in Qatar, have been left red-faced after being forced to switch the venue for the tournament’s showpiece final because the so-called Education City Stadium is not ready.
December 10 – German Champions FC Bayern Munich are the latest club to enter Konami’s eFootball.Pro League, joining other newcomer Manchester United for the second season of the esports competition that begins December 14.
December 10 – The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has acquired the rights to the Women’s Euro 2021 for more than 50 European territories.
December 10 – He may starting to look towards his retirement but Lionel Messi still tops a ranking of the best performing players across 35 European leagues.
December 12 – Bahrain stunned favourites Saudi Arabia 1-0 to win their first-ever Arabian Gulf Cup in a matchup of two countries blockading the host nation, Qatar, whose emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani attended the final.
By Osasu Obayiuwana
December 9 – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ordered the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA, football’s world governing body, to file, within 14 days, a reply to the claims made against them by Musa Bility, the former President of the Liberia Football Association.
December 9 – Police have arrested a man in connection with alleged racial gestures and chanting in Saturday’s Premier League derby between Manchester City and Manchester United.
December 9 – The final day of the league season in Brazil was marred by violence as Belo Horizonte giants Cruzeiro were relegated for the first time in their history from Brazil’s top flight following a 0-2 defeat at home to Palmeiras.
December 9 – Manchester City has built on its partnership with its official betting partner Marathonbet making the online bookmaker the club’s first training kit partner in what is reportedly an eight-figure deal.
December 9 – UEFA is set to launch a new tender for official match ball and equipment supplier status for its club competitions. The period covered is the commercial cycle 2021 to 2024.
December 10 – The Australian FA (FFA) has appointed James Johnson as the successor to David Gallop as its chief executive officer. Johnson will take up his post in January.