Mourinho vs Conte: Little men making a big noise
January 8 – Mind games between managers are nothing new. Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson was a past master at it.
Yorkshire wins nation status, and organises battle of giants against Isle of Man
January 8 – The non-FIFA Confederation of International Football Associations (CONIFA) ratified the membership of Yorkshire on Saturday. Yorkshire will play its first friendly against the Isle of Man in January.
Oman clinch Gulf Cup after penalty shoot out drama with UAE
January 8 – Oman is celebrating only its second ever Gulf cup title but last Friday’s victory over the United Arab Emirates was marred by at least 40 fans being injured after a glass barrier collapsed.
New year, new club? Man City owners keep up expansion drive with Indian rumours
January 8 – Manchester City’s holding company City Football Group (CFG) is exploring further club expansion with India, the world’s second most populous nation, looking like the next market for acquisition.
Wenger marvels at Weah’s success and ponders a trip to his inauguration
January 8 – Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger may be enduring arguably the toughest period of his Arsenal career but he has friends in a number of high places not least Liberia where newly elected George Weah, who has made the remarkable transition from world-famous footballer to president, has invited him to his inauguration later this month.
The Anfield way? Coutinho follows Suarez as Barca seal £142m with Liverpool
January 8 – The protracted transfer of Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool to Barcelona has finally gone through with the Catalan giants paying what will effectively amount to the third highest fee of all time to land the coveted Brazilian playmaker.
Brighton and Crystal Palace to test VAR in FA Cup tonight
January 8 – Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology makes its long-awaited debut in English football tonight when Brighton face Crystal Palace in the last of the FA Cup third-round fixtures.
Everton show £30.6m profit despite rising wage bill
By David Owen
January 5 – Another Premier League club has reported strong 2016-17 profits, as a consequence largely of the league’s new TV deal. Everton have clocked up a £30.6 million post-tax profit on turnover of £171.3 million, almost £50 million more than the previous highest recorded.
Sorokin steps up at Russia 2018 to fill gap left by Mutko
January 5 – Vitaly Mutko’s humiliating decision to step down as head of Russia’s World Cup organising committee in the wake of the ongoing doping scandal is now official.
ISL shambles as Goa rush from airport for 11pm kick-off in Kolkata
By Samindra Kunti
January 5 – The Indian Super league descended into farce after FC Goa’s match against Atletico de Kolkata was forced to kick off at 11pm after the team were stranded when their flight from Goa to Bengal was delayed. Eventually, the game kicked off at 11pm with the visitors salvaging a draw.
Salah wins CAF player of year award as Ahmad drops two awards to focus on ‘best’
January 5 – Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah won the 2017 CAF African Football Player of the Year Award. Egypt’s Hector Cuper was named Coach of the Year and for a third time Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala won the Women’s Player of the Year award.
Ivorian clubs plot Diallo’s removal over failure to qualify for Russia 2018
January 5 – The failure of the Ivory Coast to qualify for next year’s World Cup in Russia continues to have a knock-on effect off the field with a raft of clubs calling for an extraordinary general meeting of the national federation and the removal its president Augustin Sidy Diallo.
Belounis settles with Qatari club after QPA steps in to mediate
By Andrew Warshaw
January 5 – Zahir Belounis, the French-Algerian footballer whose tortuous saga of being “trapped” in Qatar against his will made him an international cause celebre, has finally reached a financial settlement in his long-running dispute with Qatar Stars League team El Jaish Sports Club.
Chinese keep transfer fee ‘tax’ in place for winter 2018 window
January 5 – The Chinese FA (CFA) has moved to further strengthen its domestic football infrastructure repeating its policy of restricting transfer fees during the 2018 winter transfer window and at the time announcing a restructuring of its management and organisation nationally with the recruitment of new middle managers.
Hodgson adds voice to VAR suspicions as technology set to debut in FA Cup
January 5 – Former England manager Roy Hodgson has warned that the introduction of video technology in English football will not necessarily be a positive move judging by recent instances of controversy elsewhere.