October 11 – It’s been a long road back but Iraq played their first competitive fixture on home soil in eight years on Thursday as they beat Hong Kong 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier in Basra.
November 11 – In a fresh outbreak of regional geo-politics, Red Star Belgrade, Serbia’s leading team, was banned from entering Kosovo this week to play a Serbia Cup match against a local side, with the club’s bus prevented from crossing into the former Serbian province.
October 11 – The former general secretary of the Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF), Sayed Aghazada, has been banned for five years by FIFA in the latest sanction relating to the country’s sexual abuse scandal.
October 11 – Dentsu will replace French agency Lagardere Sports as the sales agency for Japan’s J-League international broadcast rights between 2020 and 2022.
October 11 – The Bulgarian FA have written angrily to UEFA to protest against a threat by England players to walk off the pitch en masse if any of them are racially abused during Monday’s Euro 2020 qualifier in Sofia.
October 11 – UEFA have added global fashion brand Esprit as the Official Branded Apparel Partner of UEFA Women’s Football in deal running through to 2021.
October 11 – FIFA have suspended Uganda FA president Moses Magogo from all football-related activity for two months for his role in the resale of World Cup tickets. The football official has also been slapped with a $10,000 fine.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 10 – Iran’s World Cup qualifier against Cambodia today is being lauded as a landmark occasion, with women officially allowed to attend a men’s game for the first time in two generations.
October 10 – UEFA have confirmed that Slovan Bratislava’s Europa League game against Wolverhampton Wanderers will be played behind closed doors after dismissing their appeal against being charged for racist chants by fans in a play-off game against PAOK of Greece.
October 10 -Lionel Messi has revealed wanted to leave Spain in the midst of his case for tax fraud because of the way he was being treated but stayed when no offers emerged.
By David Owen
October 10 – Sligo Rovers currently reside, it is fair to say, some way below the pinnacle of European football. But the League of Ireland club plays a mean social media game.
October 10 – Sierra Leone have been ordered to play their next official match behind closed doors following “a number of incidents” linked to the recent World Cup qualifier against Liberia.
October 10 – The USL, operator of professional leagues below the MLS, have won the commitments of David Beckham’s Inter Miami and MLS old stagers New England Revolution to enter teams in the second season of their third tier League One in 2020.
October 10 – Adidas, one of FIFA’s six top tier partners, has added sponsorship of the the governing bodies esports package – the FIFA 20 Global Series – and will provide the official in-game ball.
October 10 – Los Angeles fashion brand 424 has become the Official Formal Wear partner of Premier League Arsenal in a two-year partnership.