By Andrew Warshaw
December 18 – As FIFA continues to prevaricate over whether to expand the Qatar World Cup in 2022, the Qataris themselves are taking a firm but diplomatic stance.
December 18 – Having stripped Cameroon of the 2019 African Cup of Nations, Confederation of African Football (CAF) boss Ahmad Ahmad has insisted no decision has yet been reached for them to stage 2021 instead and force original hosts Ivory Coast to stage the event two years later.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 18 – He was hired on reputation to restore past glories at the club he always wanted to join. But once again, Jose Mourinho, the self-styled Special One, has found himself on the managerial scrapheap after being ignominiously sacked by Manchester United following the club’s worst start to a Premier league campaign for 28 years.
December 18 – Seedy by name, seedy by nature? FIFA ethics judges have banned former Gambia Football Federation chief Seedy Kinteh for four years for taking cash gifts from one-time FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hammam.
FIFA says its ethics committee found Kinteh guilty on charges of bribery and corruption, and accepting gifts. He was also fined CHF200,000 ($202,000).
Kinteh was named in a 2014 investigation report by FIFA’s then-ethics prosecutor Michael Garcia for taking payments totalling $69,396 from Bin Hammam from February 2010 to April 2011 when Qatar’s former Asian football confederation boss was bidding to unseat Sepp Blatter.
December 18 – New launch player transfers app Soccer Mandate has announced a strategic partnership with China’s Sport 8 International.
December 18 – Former Japan captain Makoto Hasebe was presented with the Asian Football Confederation’s 2018 Asian International Player of the Year award at Eintracht Frankfurt’s Commerzbank Arena on Sunday.
By Paul Nicholson at the Lusail Marina, Qatar
December 16 – It was a night of stars, fireworks and national celebration as Qatar’s World Cup organisers unveiled the design of the 80,000-capacity showpiece stadium that will host the opening match and final of the greatest show on earth in 2022.
December 17 – In seasons gone by, a European tie against Manchester United might have been regarded as a daunting prospect but Paris St. Germain will be confident of going one step closer to their dream of winning the Champions League for the first time after being paired with Jose Mourinho’s misfiring side in the last 16 of the competition.
By Paul Nicholson, Lusail City, Qatar
December 16 – They promised amazing and that is what we are going to get. Qatar got down to the real business of World Club football this weekend with the launch of the design of its showpiece Lusail Stadium. Qatar 2022 is well and truly off the starting grid and setting a spectacular pace.
December 17 – beIN SPORTS, battling industrial scale piracy of their sports rights in the Middle East by Saudi Arabian broadcaster beoutQ, are now being forced to fight for fair treatment for their channel distribution in the US.
December 17 – Vietnam defeated Malaysia 1-0 on Saturday to claim a second Suzuki Cup 3-2 on aggregate. Nguyen Anh Duc scored the deciding goal early on in Hanoi.
December 17 – Next year’s Africa Cup of Nations will take place in either Egypt or South Africa, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed.
December 17 – Cameroon has a new federation president in Seidou Mbombo Njoya who has vowed to rebuild credibility after the country was stripped of hosting rights for next year’s African Nations Cup.
By Paul Nicholson in Doha
December 14 – FIFA President Gianni Infantino concluded the FIFA Summits in Doha, Qatar, yesterday with what is becoming his trademark battle cry for an expansion of the 2022 World Cup to 48 teams and another reference to his being just another “citizen of the world”.
December 14 – Vietnam will be the favourites to win the Suzuki Cup on Saturday when they host Malaysia at the My Dint National Stadium in Hanoi in the second leg of the final.