February 9 – PepsiCo is activating its Champions League sponsorship with a series of videos and ads promoting its Pepsi Max brand celebrating the dedication of football fans.
February 9 – Afghanistan may not be able to host international matches but the process of football development knows no boundaries and Afghan football administrators for the first time took part in their own series of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) workshops this week in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe.
By Paul Nicholson
February 7 – The various charges against Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis – some legally and others through the media – are rapidly dropping away one by one. The latest charge to be reversed was by the Greek Administrative Court of Appeal in support of the positions of Olympiacos and Marinakis.
February 8 – Qatar’s World Cup organisers are splashing out a staggering $500 million every week on major infrastructure projects, the country’s finance minister has admitted.
February 8 – English Football Association chairman Greg Clarke has threatened to quit if the government does not support his proposed reforms of the organisation.
February 8 – Scottish giants and runaway league leaders Celtic almost doubled their revenue for the first half financial period to end December 2016 to £61.2 million. This is an increase of £31.4 million on the 2015 figure, the reward for qualifying for the big money group stages of the Champions League.
February 8 – The families of seven journalists killed in the Chapecoense air disaster are suing the club over the chartering arrangements.
By Samindra Kunti
February 8 – The All India Football Federation (AIFF) and their U17 coach Nicolai Adam have parted ways after players claimed abuse by the Hungarian coach. The incident has disrupted India’s preparations for the U17 World Cup on home soil this October.
February 8 – In what looks likely to be the first deal of its kind for one of Europe’s big clubs, Real Madrid is poised to sell its internet image rights for 10 years to US investment Providence Equity Partners for €500 million.
February 8 – Howard Webb, one of the world’s most recognisable and respected referees who has recently been working as a television pundit, has been hired by the body overseeing officiating in MLS to manage the introduction of video assistant referees (VARs).
By Paul Nicholson
February 7 – Russia has increased its government spending on the 2018 World Cup by 19.1 billion rubles ($325 million) according to documents published on a government website. Total spend on the World Cup is now going to hit $10.8 billion.
February 7 – Two British-based gaming enthusiasts who ran a betting website connected to FIFA’s globally popular EA Sports video game have pleaded guilty to breaching Britain’s gambling laws in a landmark case.
By Paul Nicholson
February 7 – The rehabilitation of Uli Hoeness now looks complete. Having been re-elected as president of Bayern Munich last November, he has now reassumed the position of chairman of the Supervisory Board. In separate news the club are said to be close to launching a new TV channel with main sponsor Deutsche Telekom.
February 7 – Kuwait could be about to take a significant step towards ending its damaging exile from international football with the news that information and youth minister Sheikh Salman Humoud Al-Sabah has resigned, two days before he was scheduled to face a no confidence vote.
February 7 – Real Madrid are reportedly stepping up their interest in a European Super league after being left high and dry by the late postponement of a recent league game.