Bielsa’s bucket breaks the ice for Leeds United with US e-commerce giant Wish
August 13 – Ambitious Championship club Leeds United have secured US e-commerce platform Wish as the club’s Official Presenting Partner for the 2019/20 season.
EA Sports extends PSG deal to 2024 with added content proposition
August 13 – Paris Saint-Germain have renewed their partnership with video game developer EA Sports that will see new club features and enhanced PSG graphics introduced for the FIFA 20 game launching next month.
Racist fans land Partizan Belgrade with a two-match closed stadium sanction
August 13 – Partizan Belgrade have been slapped with a two-match stadium ban by UEFA who have clearly run out of patience with the racist element of the club’s fans. The Serbian club have been punished because of behaviour of supporters in the first leg of their third qualifying round Europa League win over Yeni Malatyaspor of Turkey.
Argentine World Cup legend ‘Tata’ Brown dies, aged 62
August 13 – Argentine legend Jose Luis ‘Tata’ Brown, who scored the opening goal in the 1986 World Cup final against West Germany, has died at the age of 62.
19.com secures Leicester City deal as it seeks to expand in Europe
August 13 – Premier League Leicester City has signed Asian betting operator 19.com as the club’s new Official Betting Partner.
Battle honours even between Rubiales and Tebas in LaLiga match date war
By Andrew Warshaw
August 12 – The bitter dispute between La Liga and the Spanish FA (RFEF) over which days are eligible for league matches has been resolved with a judge ruling that Fridays are fine but imposing a blanket ban on games being played on Monday nights.
SportPesa pulls out of Kenyan sponsorships after regulators crackdown on betting taxes
August 12 – Betting giant SportPesa has pulled the plug on all its sports sponsorships in Kenya after a prolonged tax dispute with local authorities.
MLS rules out anti-Nazi ‘Iron Front’ flags in stadia
August 12 – A Major League Soccer derby between northwest rivals Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders has burst into controversy ahead of a potentially politically-motivated clash between right-wing and left-wing activists on August 17.
Bolton fight for survival as kids secure surprise first league point
August 12 – The financial soap opera that has become the story of Bolton Wanderers’ battle for survival took another twist at the end of last week. It was then followed by perhaps the most noteworthy result of England’s football weekend as the club managed a 0-0 draw with Coventry sending out a team that had an average age 19.
1xBet takes down UK site after ‘pornhub’ casino and live cockfight allegations
August 12 – Russian bookmaker 1xBet – that has rapidly established a position in the international, often unregulated, betting market – has suspended its UK betting service following reports of it operating a ‘pornhub’ casino and complaints from punters unable to cash out their winnings.
FIFA inspectors visit Nigeria for 2020 U-20 Women’s World Cup bid appraisal
August 12 – Nigeria is in the running to host the 2020 U-20 Women’s World Cup. A FIFA inspection team visited facilities in the proposed host cities of Lagos, Benin City, Asaba and Uyo.
Brighton soar with £100m American Express renewal
August 12 – Premier League Brighton and Hove Albion have renewed their main sponsorship with American Express in a 12-year £100 million deal that includes the continuation of the naming rights to Brighton’s stadium as well as the financial services providers’ name on the front of the club shirt.
Xia axed from Aston Villa board after failure to pay Lerner £30m bonus fee
August 12 – Aston Villa have parted ways with businessman and former owner Tony Xia (pictured). The Chinese was removed as director and member of the board after he failed to pay his predecessor Randy Lerner a £30 million bonus. Instead Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris – who bought control from Xia – have stepped up to increase their share and fulfil the debt.
Winds remove section of AZ Alkmaar roof
August 12 – Dutch top-flight side AZ Alkmaar suffered a partial roof collapse at their stadium on Saturday after strong winds hit the country.
Bility armed for battle against FIFA ‘colonisation’ of CAF; Grafstrom denies threats
By Osasu Obayiuwana
August 9 – Musa Bility, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Executive Committee member, recently banned for 10 years, by the Adjudicatory Chamber of FIFA’s Ethics Committee, is accusing a key official of the world governing body of strong-arming him, over his refusal to accept FIFA’s direct intervention in CAF’s affairs.