2018 withdrawals lands Gabon and Djibouti bans from 2020 CHAN
November 20 – Gabon and Djibouti have been banned from qualifying for the 2020 African Nations Championship (CHAN).
Author: Paul Nicholson
DFS issues to get aired at first business summit in Malta
November 20 – The Daily Fantasy Sports business is to get its first conference, hosted in Malta, later this week (November 23). The European Fantasy Sports Summit (EFSS) aims to give an international platform to a DFS focused agenda.
Real Salt Lake to launch pro women’s team in NWSL in 2018 season
November 20 – The National Women’s Soccer League in the US have announced that MLS club Real Salt Lake will launch a new women’s team in the NWSL for the 2018 season.
EFL renews bumper deal with Sky Bet and extends across all platforms
November 20 – It didn’t take long before football capitalised on the decision by the UK government to give it a free pass in its gambling review that left the sport untouched by any new regulation. The English Football League has announced a five-year renewal of its partnership title sponsor Sky Bet.
USL debutant Fresno link with MLS’s Vancouver Whitecaps to boost player pool
November 20 – Fresno FC, who debut in the second tier USL in 2018, have become the official affiliate of Major League Soccer’s Canadian franchise Vancouver Whitecaps.
Arsenal cashes in with WorldRemit as global online money transfer partner
November 19 – Digital money transfer company WorldRemit has signed a global deal with Arsenal as its Official Online Money Transfer Partner.
AFC Champions League Final: Urawa Red Diamonds take away goal edge into second leg
By Ian Griffiths
November 18 – Rafael Silva struck a vital away goal as Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds secured a 1-1 draw at Al Hilal in the first leg of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League final on Saturday.
Khribin and Kerr head AFC final three nominees for Player of Year awards
September 18 – Omar Khribin and Samantha Kerr have been rewarded for their outstanding displays throughout 2017 by being named among the nominees for this year’s Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Player of the Year Award in the men’s and women’s categories.
Paraguayan judge rules key US target Leoz can be extradited to face justice in Brooklyn
November 17 – A judge in Paraguay has authorised the extradition to the United States of former CONMEBOL boss Nicolás Leoz, alleged to have been one of the masterminds in the FIFAGate corruption scandal but who has so far managed to escape the clutches of US prosecutors.
Soccerex cancel Doha event at last minute. Déjà vu, all over again?
November 17 – Trade event organiser Soccerex have cancelled their December 4-5 conference in Doha, Qatar, initially saying on their website that the short notice was due to the blockade of the country by its neighbours. But this doesn’t seem to be the full story.
WTF? Puta, no problem, says CAS over Mexican chants
November 17 – FIFA has been adjudged to have wrongly viewed chanting by Mexican fans towards opposition goalkeepers at World Cup qualifiers as homophobic.
Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain pulled out of Gulf Cup in Qatar
By Andrew Warshaw
November 17 – Next month’s Gulf Cup, one of Asia’s key tournaments in the region, is hanging by a thread after Saudi Arabia and two of its allies enforcing the political and trade blockade of Qatar were withdrawn from the eight-nation competition.
Globo agrees 40-match, $2.5m a game deal with CBF for Brazil national team games
November 17 – The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has signed a new TV rights deal with Globo worth $2.5 million per match for the Brazilian national team until 2022.
CECAFA Cup draw goes ahead despite move of tournament date and nation withdrawals
November 17 – The draw for the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) Senior Challenge Cup was held on Thursday whilst the tournament, to be held in Kenya, has lost two of the original participants (Somalia and Sudan) and been put back until December 3-17.
Boca Juniors extend Netflix football docuseries strand into South America
By Samindra Kunti
November 11 – Argentinian giants Boca Juniors have agreed a content partnership with Netflix. The online streaming service will make a four-part documentary series which will be released in 2018.