December 13 – Despite UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin’s preference for one sole bid from Europe, a Balkan grouping of countries hoping to stage the 2030 World Cup say they have just as realistic a chance as anyone else.
December 13 – The fractious relationship between Premier League club West Ham and their London Stadium landlords appears to have reached a break in hostilities with the club agreeing to pay about £450,000 extra per season to use London Stadium if the capacity is raised to 66,000 from the current 57,000.
December 13 – The Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) and the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) have partnered to raise the level of Sport Integrity within national governments via a research and profile-building project titled ‘A Business Case for Sport Integrity’.
By Paul Nicholson
December 12 – Qatar-based pan-regional broadcaster beIN Sport has written to Serie A to ask the Italian league to reconsider the recently announced three-year deal for the staging of the Italian Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia.
December 12 – Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 World Cup is reported to be one of the key discussion points at the latest FIFA executive summit currently taking place in in Qatar and involving over 50 FIFA federations from five continents, including 18 from Asia.
December 12 – The head of African football has denied that he orchestrated the move to strip Cameroon of hosting rights for next year’s African Nations Cup, saying it was a collective decision by his confederation’s inner circle.
December 12 – The chances of Mike Ashley exiting Newcastle United before the January transfer window opens and Peter Kenyon re-entering Premier League club football are looking slimmer.
December 12 – As Spanish football manages an international transition from the individual appeal of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the KPMG Football Benchmark team has taken a look at the impact this could have on LaLiga’s business.
December 12 – UEFA have announced that 11 candidates, including the female member, are to stand for eight available places on its executive committee when elections take place at UEFA’s annual congress in February.
December 12 – Lord Herman Ouseley is to stand down as chairman of British football’s anti-discrimination group Kick It Out at the end of the season.
December 12 – Atlanta United’s 2-0 win over Portland Timbers at the weekend is the most watched MLS Cup since 1997.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 11 – Gianni Infantino’s closest technical advisor, Zvonimir Boban, has publicly ruled out the Qatar World Cup in 2022 being expanded to 48 teams – unless it definitely shares the tournament with its neighbours.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 11 – La Liga’s much-publicised – and also much criticised – plans to play a groundbreaking overseas game in Miami in January have been abandoned after Barcelona pulled out of the Catalan derby against Girona due to a “lack of consensus”.
By Paul Nicholson
December 11 – The debate over gambling ads in the UK has intensified with League One side Luton Town saying it has rejected sponsorship from betting companies while Sky CEO Stephen van Rooyen (pictured) has argued that banning gambling ads from being broadcast during matches will only drive that marketing spend online.
December 11 – Breakthrough Dortmund and England winger Jadon Sancho has increased his transfer value by more €78 million in the past three months, a bump of more than 800% since the start of the season. Any buyer would now have to pay almost €88 million to sign him.