Beckham’s Inter Miami lands £180m Qatar deal, say reports
February 18 – Inter Miami, the new MLS franchise where David Beckham is an owner has reportedly secured a £180 million sponsorship deal with Qatar.
Porto’s Marega walks off after sustained racial abuse
February 17 – Yet another top-flight footballer has walked off the pitch in protest at being racially abused with monkey chants.
CAF in crisis: senior staff quit as morale plummets, match officials go unpaid
By Osasu Obayiuwana
February 16 – As the Confederation of African Football (CAF) continues to deal with the unsavoury revelations emanating from the PwC forensic audit of its finances and governance practices, the organisation is set to lose two of its key directors.
UEFA hits Man City with two season European ban for breaking FFP rules
By Andrew Warshaw
February 15 – In a seismic ruling that has sent shockwaves across the sport, English Premier League champions Manchester City have been banned by UEFA from all European club competition for the next two seasons and fined €30 million after being found to have committed “serious breaches” of financial fair play rules.
Rio prosecutor tells Flamengo to increase compensation to families over fire deaths
February 17 – Rio de Janeiro’s public prosecutor and the state’s public ministry have demanded greater compensation from Flamengo for the families of the ten youth players who perished in a fire at the club’s training complex last year. The fire will no longer be treated as a ‘collective accident’.
Eibar vs Real Sociedad postponed due to ‘toxic’ air quaility
February 17 – In what must surely be a first of its kind, a top-flight game was postponed at the weekend not because of weather conditions, fixture congestion or fan disruption but for environmental reasons in the shape of air contamination.
‘Money-ball’ investors Pacific Media Group take control of Belgium’s KV Oostende
February 17 – American investment company Pacific Media Group (PMG) has acquired a majority stake in struggling Belgian top-flight club KV Oostende.
Everton terminate SportPesa’s shirt deal three years early
February 17 – With sponsorship of football by gambling firms very much on the radar of UK regulators, Everton have become the first Premier League club to announce they are ending their deal with Kenyan online gaming giant SportPesa.
David Owen: It’s time to accept the FA Cup for what it is, not what it once was
By David Owen
One line in Watford’s recent annual accounts jumped out at me. Explaining a near 15% increase in turnover, the strategic report said this was “mainly due to an increase in Media & Broadcasting revenue because of a higher finishing position consequently attracting increased centralised distributions from the Premier League”.
Munich air disaster hero Harry Gregg dies, aged 87
February 17 – Former Manchester United goalkeeper Harry Gregg, hailed as a hero for his role in the 1958 Munich air disaster, has died at the age of 87.
CAF responds to PwC audit saying it is full of ‘unfounded allegations’
By Paul Nicholson
February 14 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has issued a statement disputing the “unfounded allegations” contained in PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) audit of the governing body’s finances.
Iraq takes steps to a new political reboot as Premier League restarts play
By Paul Nicholson
February 14 – This is a big week for Iraqi football. On Wednesday FIFA announced a normalisation committee would take over the running of the game in the country. This weekend the Iraqi Premier League will restart play after a period of suspension due to political situation and safety fears.
Euro 2020 ticket requests top 28 million, reports UEFA
February 14 – Ticket demand for the one-off pan-Continental European Championship this summer, being staged in 12 cities, has gone through the roof.
PSG head Man City in financial power ranking. Man Utd’s debt sees it slump to 16th
February 14 – French champions Paris Saint Germain have leapfrogged Manchester City as football’s most financially powerful club, according to Soccerex’s annual Football Finance report.
Juve re-sign Allianz in €130m deal
February 14 – Italy’s Juventus and global insurance giant Allianz have extended their partnership until 2030 in a deal worth €103.1 million.