December 4 – As faux pas go, it was right up there with the most awkward. Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris was in full swing and Norway forward Ada Hegerberg had just won the inaugural award for the best player in women’s football when the moment was tarnished by a moment of chauvanistic indiscretion.
By Paul Nicholson
December 3 – FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, addressed the G20 summit of world leaders at the weekend as a self proclaimed “simple citizen of the World” and proceeded to expound the virtues of football’s unifying powers and how great it would be if the Qatar 2022 World Cup could be expanded to more countries in the region, inshallah.
December 3 – England will play the Netherlands and hosts Portugal take on Switzerland in the semi-final of the inaugural Nations League following the draw made today.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 3 – After insisting there was no plan B and promising only last month that his organisation had “never thought about” an alternative venue, African football chief Ahmad Ahmad has bowed to growing pressure and stripped Cameroon of hosting rights for next year’s African Cup of Nations.
December 3 – UEFA have confirmed plans for a ground-breaking third club competition to sit below the Champions League and Europa League from 2021.
December 3 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has widened its investigation into complaints of discrimination within the Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) following new allegations of sexual and physical abuse.
By Paul Nicholson
December 3 – The US Soccer federation is abandoning its controversial U12 academy system, which it launched in 2016, in favour of returning this age-group’s player development responsibilities to its youth club system.
December 3 – While there wasn’t quite a group of death, the Netherlands drew the short straw by being paired with Germany in qualification for the 2020 European Championship on Sunday.
By Samindra Kunti
December 3 – Nigeria retained their stranglehold on African women’s football, winning a ninth Africa Cup of Nations with 4-3 penalty shoot-out win against South Africa in the final. In the third-place playoff, Cameroon claimed Africa’s last ticket for next year’s Women’s World Cup in France.
December 3 – So where now? After Conmebol finally agreed to play the second leg of the twice postponed Copa Libertadores final between Boca Juniors and River Plate in Madrid on December 9, River Plate have objected to the venue saying the decision is “incomprehensible”.
December 3 – Italian Serie B football club Palermo has been sold to an un-named London-based company for jut €10.
December 3 – Spain claimed their first-ever U-17 Women’s World Cup after defeating Mexico 2-1 in Montevideo. They succeed North Korea as world champions.
By Paul Nicholson in Muscat, Oman
November 30 – The AFC’s big night out to celebrate and recognise its players and federations at its 2018 Award in Muscat, Oman, this week was missing one person. Salah Abu Al-Atta should have been on hand to pick an award for the Palestine Football Association but was refused an exit permit from Palestine by Israeli authorities.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 30 – After a series of twists, turns, disagreements and crisis meetings, the second leg of the twice postponed Copa Libertadores final between Boca Juniors and River Plate will be switched to Europe and played more than 6,000 miles away in Madrid on December 9.
November 30 – Belgium remain top of FIFA’s latest rankings, just, with world champions France a close second and Brazil in third spot. Sweden and Serbia were among the big movers.