By Osasu Obayiuwana
December 12 – As CAF’s first Vice-President for seven years (2011-2017) and the Chairman of its Finance Committee, Suketu Patel was regarded as the financial brain-box of the African football governing body, during the latter stages of Cameroonian Issa Hayatou’s 29-year presidency.
December 12 – FIFA to launch legal action against former president Sepp Blatter and ex-UEFA president Michel Platini to recover the CHF 2 million paid to Platini in 2011 on Blatter’s authority, which led to long bans for both of them.
December 12 – South Africa have pulled out of the running to stage the 2023 Women’s World Cup saying they will not be submitting a bid book and other proposed hosting documentation by Friday’s deadlineThe South African FA has been on a collision course with Sports Minister Nathi Mthethwa over the future of football in the country which would need government guarantees to stage the tournament.
December 12 – FIFA and the European Parliament (EP) have not always sat cosily alongside each other with the EP having warned in the past that it would force regulation on football’s governing body across a host of commercial and social policy areas if it didn’t reform.
By Paul Nicholson
December 12 – The five-year deal between Scotland’s SPFL and sports betting content hub IMG Arena will see a big step forward for sports broadcast technology company Pixellot in the European football market.
December 12 – The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) in its new budget for 2020 is predicting a 41% growth in revenues to €316 million, primarily fuelled by the new money from the estimated €120 million deal with Saudi Arabia to stage its revamped Super Cup competition.
December 12 – The German FA vice-president Rainer Koch will not run for a seat on the FIFA Council, the DFB announced on Thursday. His candidacy has been withdrawn in favour of the president of the French Football Federation (FFF) Noël Le Graët.
December 11 – The head of the umbrella organisation representing Europe’s domestic leagues has launched yet another broadside against plans to revamp the Champions League saying his organisation is “tired” of threats about a breakaway super league.
By Osasu Obayiuwana
December 11 – Suketu Patel, a former leading official of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), who was at the centre of negotiations for the 12-year $1 billion marketing deal with French company Lagardere Sports (LS), is predicting that the contract’s recent cancellation will lead to “a very difficult period” for CAF.
December 11 – Irish police are reported to be investigating a series of threats made against staff at the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), leading to increased security at the federation’s Dublin headquarters.
December 11 – With the winter transfer window looming, KPMG Football Benchmark has updated its players’ value estimates and ranked players by most increased value since the start of the season.
December 11 – Liverpool are backing calls by human rights groups for thorough investigations into the deaths of migrant workers in Qatar – before the club flies out next week for the Club World Cup.
December 11 – FIFA were the target of spying and hacking by the United Arab Emirates as US intelligence agents helped the Emirate to build a secret surveillance unit, a Reuters report has revealed.
December 10 – With the threat of broadcast disruption from the broadcast streaming giants and sports ambitious social networks looming over the traditional broadcast industry, and pay tv networks in particular, a distribution deal between Canal+ Group and beIN Sports in France could indicate a trend towards a new pathway for established rights holders.
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 .