QSL becomes first Asian league to join SIGA integrity body
September 23 – The Qatar Stars League (QSL) became the first professional football league in Asia to sign a co-operation agreement with the Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA).
Arsenal add Global Kapital Group as financial partner
September 23 – Premier League Arsenal have signed Global Kapital Group as the club’s Official Forex Trading partner.
Refinancing stretches average maturity of Spurs’ £600m-plus stadium debt-load to 23 years
By David Owen
September 20 – Tottenham Hotspur, nowadays the top football club in North London, has closed its refinancing of the £637 million bank loan put in place to support the construction of its gleaming new stadium.
Portuguese charge whisteblower Pinto with more than 100 offences
September 20 – Days after the lawyer representing Rui Pinto, whose string of incriminating leaks shook the footballing world before he was controversially extradited from Hungary to his native Portugal, denounced the Portuguese authorities for holding his client without charge, over 100 charges have been brought against the hacker-cum-whistleblower.
Former Anderlecht boss Van Holsbeeck charged with financial corruption over transfers
By Samindra Kunti
September 20 – Former Anderlecht general manager Herman Van Holsbeeck has been charged with money laundering, forgery and criminal conspiracy for his alleged role in transfer fraud.
Stoke, Leeds and Aston Villa lead football hate crime stats
September 20 – Incidents of hate crime at football matches in England and Wales rose by 47% last season, according to new government figures.
Hiddink sacked as China U-23 coach. Hao Wei takes over for Olympic qualifiers
September 20 – Guus Hiddink and the Chinese Football Association (CFA) have parted ways, with Hao Wei now appointed to succeed the Dutchman at the helm of the U-23 team.
Rex Sport and CEU IAM open applications for Master in Sports Law programme
September 20 – Sports law association Rex Sport has opened its Master in International Sports Law programme for applications for the 2020 academic year. The one-year course is run in conjunction with the CEU IAM Business School in Spain.
Prince Abdullah seeks Saudi support for Sheffield Utd; Bin Laden cash would be no problem
September 19 – The new Saudi owner of English Premier League club Sheffield United says he would happily do business with the family of Osama Bin Laden to bring fresh investment into the club.
TV parity: UK government wants to ‘list’ major women’s events for free broadcast
September 20 – The rapid rise of the women’s game and the profile of the Women’s World Cup has prompted the UK government to call for a number of top tier women’s events to be added to the country’s ‘listed’ sports events that must be broadcast in free-to-air television.
Former Liverpool and EPL exec Parry in pole position to be new chair of EFL
September 20 – Former Premier League and Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry is set to be appointed as the English Football League’s new chairman.
New balls please. Adidas and Molten serve up shiny fresh designs for UEFA club comps
September 20 – On Tuesday the UEFA Champions League kicked off in a fluorescent blaze of orange and yellows with a new adidas ball. Last night it was the turn of Japanese manufacturer Molten to launch its 2019/20 ball into the Europe League competition.
Pinnick investigation: Questions raised over integrity of Nigerian probe
By Paul Nicholson
September 19 – Doubts have been raised over the integrity of the Nigerian government investigation into Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Amaju Pinnick that has seen property reportedly seized, including his home in Park View Estate, in the Ikoyi suburb of Lagos.
David Owen: Blade runner
Mr Justice Fancourt’s 138-page judgment in the recent High Court battle over Sheffield United offers a fascinating insight into the business affairs of a venerable but otherwise fairly ordinary English professional club over a six-year period in the early part of the 21st century. I would recommend any serious student of the football industry taking an hour or two to skim through it.
Infantino tells Iran that banning women from stadia is ‘unacceptable’
September 19 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has finally been pressured into personally reacting to Iran’s ban on women attending men’s football following the grotesque tragedy of a female fan dying after setting fire to herself.