By Paul Nicholson
February 3 – Touted as a Nigerian billionaire, on closer examination Dozy Mmobuosi, who is close to a reported £90 million takeover of Sheffield United, looks to be very far from it.
February 3 – Peru’s top-flight division kicks off this weekend behind closed doors following a two-week suspension because of the civil unrest that has reportedly cost more than 50 lives.
February 3 – Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood has had all criminal charges against him dropped, police and prosecutors said on Thursday, and will no longer face charges of attempted rape and assault.
February 3 – World Cup winner Lionel Messi did not shut the door on returning to the biggest stage of all, but said he was not sure he can still bring what it takes at the 2026 World Cup. The Argentinean will be 39 at the start of the next World Cup.
February 3 – Belgian champions Club Brugge will have to wait longer for a new stadium after their plans for a new stadium again fell foul of city planners.
February 3 – The AFC Executive Committee has set up a dedicated AFC Professional Football Task Force to oversee the changes in the region’s club initiated by the AFC Competitions Committee last year.
February 3 – Sports streaming leaders DAZN and OneFootball have struck a distribution deal that will widen the reach of DAZN content in Germany and Austria via OneFootball’s network.
February 3 – Melbourne Victory shareholders have backed a proposal that will allow US private equity investor 777 Partners to own up to a 70% stake in the club within five years.
February 3 – Premier League Tottenham Hotspur have signed up Exalt as its Official Sports Nutrition Drink Supplier, while the club is close to closing a sponsorship deal with the South African ministry of tourism.
February 3 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) have signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a view to exploring future competitions for national teams.
February 3 – FIFA has beefed up its integrity regulations with new editions of its Disciplinary Code and Code of Ethics. Although the new rules were passed by the FIFA Council on December 20, they only came into force on February 1.
February 2 – On the same day that Saudi Arabia were confirmed as hosts of the 2027 Asian Cup, the Arab Kingdom faced criticism over rumours of the country’s tourism body’s sponsorship of the 2023 Women’s World Cup by human rights groups, who called it “a textbook case of sportswashing”.
February 2 – LaLiga boss Javier Tebas (pictured) has again criticised the Premier League, saying the English top flight is “financially doped” after England’s top 20 clubs spent a combined record $1 billion in the recent transfer window, easily outspending Europe’s other big four leagues multiple times.
February 2 – Sports betting monitoring specialists Starlizard Integrity Services (SIS) are reporting a slight increase in the number of matches that showed ‘suspicious’ betting activity in 2022.
February 2 – Former New Zealand international Maia Jackman has added her voice to the mounting discontent over the proposed Saudi sponsorship of the Women’s World Cup.