August 30 -Whilst there wasn’t quite a Group of Death in terms of four equally dangerous teams when the draw was made for this season’s Champions League, Group F came as close as it comes with Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and a new-look Inter Milan, boosted by the arrival of new manager Antonio Conte, looking particularly mouth-watering.
August 30 – Love them or hate them? Bookmakers – online Asian firms in particular – have ploughed sponsorship money into Europe’s football clubs with AS Roma being the latest to announce a deal. But not everyone is so comfortable taking their money with PSV Eindhoven going to their fans for their opinion on a potential deal.
August 30 – In a rematch of last year’s tumultuous Copa Libertadores final Boca Juniors will play Buenos Aires rivals River Plate in the last four of the competition after eliminating Paraguay’s Cerro Porteno. In the other semi-final, Flamengo will meet Gremio in an all-Brazilian affair.
August 30 – Within days of Bury becoming the first English professional team to go out of business for 27 years, the English Football League have been accused of acting too hastily after an investment company reportedly came up with £7 million proof of funds to take over the League One (third-tier) club.
August 30 – The MLS Cup final will return to a national American network in 2019 with ABC airing the November 10 showpiece match in the US domestic calendar.
August 30 – Liverpool’s Dutch Champions League-winning defender Virgil van Dijk has been named UEFA’s Men’s Player of the Year, edging out regular award-winning duo Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the prestigious prize.
August 30 – Premier League champion Manchester City have extended their Nigerian partnership with PZ Cussons’ soap brand, Premier Cool.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 29 – Nicolás Leoz, the one-time Paraguayan powerbroker alleged to have been one of the masterminds of the corruption scandal that brought FIFA to its knees but who managed to escape the clutches of US prosecutors, has died at the age of 90.
August 29 – Ahead of today’s draw Ajax Amsterdam, Club Brugge and Slavia Prague have completed the 32-team playing field of the Champions League, a competition whose future format will decide the direction of European football.
August 29 – Supporters groups of four English Premier League clubs have jointly submitted a list of demands to UEFA covering ticket allocation and venue choice following complaints surrounding last season’s Champions League and Europa League finals.
August 29 – Myanmar and Thailand have pulled out of a joint bid to stage the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in 2021, leaving Indonesia to take on the joint bid from Saudi Arabia and the UAE to try and bring the tournament to Asia.
August 29 – The top-flight derby between Nice and Marseille was suspended for 10 minutes on Wednesday following yet another instance of homophobic abuse in French football.
August 29 – The first legs of the AFC Champions League quarter finals in the eastern zone have both ended all square and with all to play for in two weeks.
August 29 – Twenty-four hours after the demise of Bury, the first English club in 27 years to go out of business, fellow third-tier Bolton Wanderers, one of the most iconic names in the domestic game with a long and illustrious history, have avoided a similar fate by being sold at the 11th hour.
August 29 – The second third tier US professional league opens for business this weekend when Oakland Roots meet California United Strikers in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) inaugural 2019 fall season.