PSG swap PMU for Unibet as betting partner in €3m deal
June 21 – French champions Paris-Saint-Germain have signed up Unibet as their official betting partner in a two-year deal worth €3 million.
Author: Paul Nicholson
FIFA fines Mexico for fans’ abusive ‘puto’ chant
June 21 – FIFA face renewed accusations of not doing enough to tackle discrimination after fining the Mexican Football Federation a token CHF10,000 for homophobic chanting by fans.
Cash-strapped Aston Villa owner Tony Xia clears way for share sale
June 21 – Aston Villa owner Tony Xia looks certain to either sell the club or a substantial stake in order to raise the £40 million needed to stay within financial fair play rules.
Mexican captain and World Cup history maker Márquez on US sanctions blacklist
June 20 – The United World Cup 2026 bid might not be quite as united as its principals claim as US authorities pursue Mexican football legend and national team captain Rafael Márquez, 39, who in the past week has become only the third player ever to appear at five World Cups.
Ghana’s ‘gift-accepting’ Nyantakyi claims innocence and calls for release of full TV tape
By Andrew Warshaw
June 20 – The second most powerful official in African football has broken his silence after being banned by FIFA for allegedly taking bribes.
Brazil issue complaint as VAR inconsistencies change final results as refs fail to refer
By Andrew Warshaw
June 20 – It was bound to happen. For every wrong decision that has been corrected by VAR on its World Cup debut, a string of other seemingly obvious mistakes have been allowed to stand, leading to widespread confusion among players and fans alike about the system’s effectiveness.
Puma, Hummel and Adidas lead after Round One of Russia 2018 Battle of Brands
By David Owen
June 20 – All 32 teams at Russia 2018 have now played at least one match, making it time to take Insideworldfootball’s first look at the latest World Cup Battle of Brands.
Russia springs a surprise at their own 2018 World Cup party
By Andrew Warshaw
June 20 – They were pretty much no-hopers as the lowest-ranked team in the FIFA world rankings, came into the tournament in desperately poor form and were expected to join South Africa as the only hosts to be eliminated at the group stage.
Blast from the past: Blatter lands in Russia for World Cup cameo
June 20 – He flew in on an Aeroflot flight, checked into a top-class downtown hotel, gave a brief television interview and that was it. Sepp Blatter was back at the World Cup today attending the showpiece event of the organisation he headed for 17 years.
Man City turn on renewed deal with PAK Lighting
June 20 – Manchester City has renewed its regional partnership with Chinese firm PAK Lighting who are the club’s Official Lighting Partner in the country.
Morocco plan sixth World Cup bid, targeting 2030 hosting
By Andrew Warshaw
June 19 – Having been trounced in their bid to stage the 2026 World cup, a record fifth loss, Morocco are coming back for yet more – by order of the king.
Germany and Lahm take Russian opportunity to lobby for 2024 Euros
June 19 – Germany could have done with the inspirational but now-retired Philipp Lahm when they kicked off their World Cup campaign against Mexico.
FIFA opens disciplinary as Mexican fans’ abusive chants hit sour note again
By Andrew Warshaw in Moscow
June 19 – After all the talk and concerns about Russia’s record on racism being at the centre of attention at the World Cup, it is a visiting team’s fans who have tarnished the early stages of the tournament.
Where’s Sepp? Blatter plans Russia 2018 trip as guest of Putin
June 19 – He always said he would come and now Sepp Blatter is sticking to his word – right under the nose of his successor.
From Patenaude to Cristiano Ronaldo – the World Cup’s hat-trick heroes
By David Owen
June 19 – After his breathtaking virtuoso performance against Spain in Sochi, Cristiano Ronaldo may well be pondering the possibility of a second consecutive World Cup hat-trick when Portugal take on Morocco on Wednesday at the Luzhniki.