Benfica and San Francisco Giants form cross-code trans-Atlantic business partnership
February 7 – Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants have partnered with iconic Portuguese club Benfica in a commercial version of moneyball.
CAF fixture pile up threatens CHAN tournament in Cameroon
February 6 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is considering scrapping the forthcoming African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Cameroon because of fixture congestion, according to local reports.
Premier League cracks open next broadcast rights cycle with a big Scandinavian deal
February 6 – The Premier League has concluded its first broadcast deal for the rights cycle beginning 2022 and it’s a big one.
English FA to bring in new heading rules for youth training but not matches
February 6 – The English Football Association is to introduce new guidelines limiting the amount of heading children will be allowed to do in training.
French police hold Ligue 1 Angers president Chabane after sexual assault allegations
February 6 – The president of French Ligue 1 club Angers, Said Chabane (pictured), was detained and questioned by French police on Wednesday after allegations of sexual assault by an employee at the club. Chabane denies the accusations, but is under formal investigation and is police custody.
Premier League realigns Summer transfer window closing with European markets
February 6 – Premier League clubs have voted to change the summer transfer window to bring it in line with the rest of Europe.
Player power: Messi turns heat on Abidal over criticism of not working hard
February 6 – Lionel Messi has criticised Barcelona sporting director Eric Abidal over an interview in which the Frenchman criticised Barcelona players for not working hard.
AFC reschedules AFC Cup after Vietnam suspends matches over coronavirus
February 6 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has rescheduled AFC Cup matches involving Vietnamese clubs Ho Chi Minh City FC and Than Quang Ninh FC as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
Emirates takes main sponsorship of Olympique Lyonnais in 5-season deal
February 6 – Emirates airline has agreed a five-season main sponsorship deal with Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyonnais’ men’s team, starting with the 2020/21 season.
Mediapro wins ‘abuse of power’ court ruling against Spanish FA over rights tender
February 6 – Spanish-owned sports agency Mediapro has won another court battle against the Spanish FA (RFEF) in the Provincial Court of Madrid. The court reconfirmed its initial ruling to dismiss the RFEF’s attempt to have the agency excluded from tendering for rights to the Copa del Rey final.
Beach Soccer World Wide joins with UN to promote ‘One Humanity’ message
February 6 – With the Beach Soccer Mundialito de Clubes set to kick off in Moscow next week, Beach Soccer World Wide (BSWW) has announced a new partnership with the United Nations to promote the UN Alliance Of Civilizations’campaign (UNAOC), ‘One Humanity’.
Saudi Arabia enters bidding for 2027 Asian Cup hosting
By Samindra Kunti
February 5 – Saudi Arabia has announced it has entered the bidding to stage the 2027 Asian Cup. The blue riband Asian Football Confederation (AFC) event for national men’s teams was successfully expanded to 24 teams for the UAE hosting last year. In 2023 it will be hosted in China.
VAR: Premier League says it will be improved, not scrapped
February 5 – The English Premier League has vowed to improve the standards of VAR after a plethora of baffling and inconsistent decisions throughout the season.
FIFPro names and shames non-paying Turkish clubs
February 5 – The international players’ union FIFPro has issued a warning to its members about joining Turkish teams because of an increasing number of cases in which clubs are defaulting on salary payments.
NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars commit to back-to-back home games at Wembley in 2020
February 5 –The Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team will play two of their home games at London’s Wembley Stadium over consecutive Sundays in 2020.