Tabcorp made to eat humble pie after £84,000 Gambling Commission fine
April 16 – A betting firm which offered odds on an English non-league player eating a pie on camera during a high-profile cup match has been fined £84,000.
Author: Paul Nicholson
Raging Buffon: Juve legend says Oliver is too young but he has ‘great career’ ahead…
April 16 – Italian goalkeeping legend Gianluigi Buffon remains unrepentant following his tirade about English referee Michael Oliver whose decision to award Real Madrid a stoppage-time penalty last week wrecked Juventus’ dreams of Champions League success.
Wenger calls for VAR in Premier League after Arsenal beaten at Newcastle
April 16 – Arsene Wenger, the longest-serving manager in the English Premier League, says the decision not to implement video assistant referees next season is a serious retrograde step that flies in the face of progress.
Huddersfield swap Puma for Umbro in new 4-year kit deal
April 16 – Premier League Huddersfield Town, who took a vital three points towards top division safety this weekend, will next year be switching the kit supply deal back to Umbro, ending their current deal with Puma.
Spurs extend FUN88 sponsorship deal for Asia and Latin America
April 15 – Tottenham Hotspur has extended its deal with online gaming brand FUN88 which stays as the club’s Official Betting Partner in Asia and Latin America.
CONMEBOL nations pledge votes to United 2026 World Cup bid
By Paul Nicholson
April 14 – South American confederation CONMEBOL has pledged the votes of its 10 member associations to the United 2026 bid (Canada, Mexico and the US). Their announcement gives the North Americans a timely boost with FIFA’s 2026 bid evaluation committee having just completed their four-city tour of North America, and now heading to bid rival Morocco.
Premier League clubs vote to delay VAR in favour of more tests
April 13 – Despite football’s lawmakers giving it the thumbs up and the system being used at the World Cup, English Premier League clubs have voted not to use video assistant referees next season.
Infantino says it is time for a 24-team Club World Cup, but ducks the $25bn question
April 13 – He is remaining tight-lipped about details of the $25 billion buyout offer for the Club World Cup and a global Nations League, but FIFA president Gianni Infantino was keen to expand on his plans for the Club World Cup.
Thailand head for France 2019 – Japan, Korea and Australia battle for final slots
April 13 – Thailand’s women became the second Asian Football Confederation (AFC) nation to qualify for the France 2019 Women’s World Cup with a 3-1 win over the Philippines that also put them into the semi-finals of the Asian Women’s Cup currently being played in Jordan.
48 for 2022? Why wait? Conmebol and Infantino want bigger, better, more
By Andrew Warshaw
April 13 – Ever since Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup, the Gulf state has consistently played down the possibility that matches might be shared with its neighbours.
Champions League semis: Real vs Bayern, Liverpool vs Roma
April 13 – Real Madrid have been drawn against Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the Champions League as they continue their quest of trying to become the first team for over 40 years to win the title three times in a row and the first in the tournament’s current guise.
China’s Ledman Sports takes over at Brazil’s Nacional in 20-year $1m deal
By Samindra Kunti
April 13 – Ledman Sports, a subsidiary of Ledman Electronics, from China has gained control over Brazilian club Nacional from Manaus for the next 20 years. The Chinese will take over the running of the club with a $1 million fee for the partnership being paid.
Pakistan continue return to international play with hosting of 2020 SAFF Championship
April 13 – The South Asian Football Federation approved Pakistan as the host of the SAFF Championship in 2020 on Thursday following a meeting in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka. The award of the hosting is a big boost for Pakistani football that has only just returned to international competition following a FIFA suspension.
WADA enters fray as CAS set to rule on World Cup fate of Peruvian captain Guerrero
April 13 – Peru captain Paolo Guerrero’s dreams of leading his country into the World Cup in June could be shattered if the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) appeal to increase his ban for a positive doping test is successful.
Maltese match-fixers lose their appeal as UEFA maintains zero tolerance line
April 13 – Four Maltese under-21 players banned over match-fixing offences in December have had their appeals rejected by UEFA’s appeals body.