By Paul Nicholson
January 13 – Broadcaster Eleven Sports has added its voice to media rights holder calls for Serie A to reverse its decision to play its Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, saying the decision has “considerable implications for Eleven Sports and for the longer term value of Italian football rights.”
January 13 – Danny Jordan (pictured), the public face of the 2010 World Cup, is once again embroiled in controversy following allegations by one of his former rivals within South African football that he helped facilitate a $10 million payment to Concacaf to land the tournament.
January 13 – In a case dubbed ‘spygate’ by the British media, Leeds United have reminded head coach Marcelo Bielsa (pictured) about “integrity and honesty” after the Argentine admitted sending one of his coaching staff to spy on Derby County ahead of their high-profile Championship match last Friday.
January 13 – United Arab Emirates coach Alberto Zaccheroni (pictured) is focused on claiming top spot in Group A as the Asian Cup hosts aim to secure their place in the last 16 when they face Thailand in their final group game on Monday.
January 13 – Qatar ran rampant over North Korea in Group E winning 6-0 to book a spot in the next round of the Asian Cup. Spanish coach Felix Sanchez had nothing but praise for his star duo Almoez Ali and Akram Afif who engineered the mammoth victory.
By David Owen
January 13 – New FIFA anti-doping regulations come into force tomorrow (Monday), with the AFC Asia Cup in full progress.
Japan 1 Oman 0
January 13 – A penalty scored by Genki Haraguchi was enough to secure Japan passage to the last 16 of the Asian Cup. They could have been three goals up within 15 minutes but for missed chances and a brilliant performance by Omani keeper Faiyz Al Rashidi.
Qatar 6 DPR Korea 0
January 13 – Star duo Almoez Ali and Akram Afif led Qatar with four goals and as many assists to an emphatic 6-0 thrashing of North Korea and a place in the knockout stages.
By Abdelaziz Abuhamar
January 13 – Qatar’s wonder kid Akram Afif has become the first player to make four assists in a single match in the history of AFC Asian Cup.
January 12 – Qatar coach Felix Sanchez has emphasised his team’s style will not be altered when they play DPR Korea in their Group E clash. The Qatari will seek three points and qualification after Saudi Arabia gained top spot with a 2-0 win over Lebanon on Saturday.
By David Owen
January 12 – Chelsea’s landmark 2017-18 financial year appears to have seen big increases in remuneration paid to the club’s directors.
Iraq 3 Yemen 0
January 12 – The Yemen story continued tonight. The newcomers from the war torn country who have become every neutral’s favourite team played Iraq, the old boys who wrote the script when it comes to manufacturing football teams out of war zones. The Iraqis won 2-0, the Yemenis won more friends, respect and global attention.
January 12 – Sardar Azmoun (pictured) sealed Iran’s qualification for the knockout stags with two goals either side of the half in a 2-0 victory that saw them out-muscle Vietnam to and Sardar become the tournament’s top scorer.
January 12 – Australian coach Graham Arnold (pictured) expects his Socceroos to put Syria to the sword in their final group B game after Australia’s commanding 3-0 win over Palestine on Friday. In 2017 Australia eliminated Syria in a dramatic play-off 3-2 on aggregate from the World Cup finals in Russia.
January 12 – Carlos Queiroz and Iran will not take Vietnam lightly as the sky-high favourites in the Asian Cup 2019 seek three points and qualification from Group D.