By Paul Nicholson
August 9 – The Premier League has been cleared to continue its UK broadcast rights sales after regulator Ofcom closed an investigation into how live rights are sold and whether the auction system restricted or distorted competition.
August 9 – The Premier League has announced video game maker EA Sports as a new Lead Partner in a three-year deal that significantly expands its current partnership with league.
August 9 – Middlesbrough, newly promoted to the Premier League, have announced TLCBET as the club’s official betting and gaming partner as the club moves to take the market opportunity of exposure in Asia to the Asian betting community that the Premier League offers. No figure was announced for the deal.
August 9 – It is more common to see European clubs heading to the Middle East to train and play friendly matches than to see Middle Eastern club come to Europe to play competition. But that is what happened in West London last night when Fulham’s raven Cottage hosted the Saudi Super Cup.
August 9 – World football’s record transfer fee has been smashed again after Paul Pogba’s return to Manchester United finally went through when the French international midfielder signed a five-year contract with the option to extend for a further year.
August 9 – The opening of the Bundesliga 2 season in Germany has recorded strong viewing figures according to pay-TV broadcaster Sky. While football in general, ahead of the big league kick offs, is rating comparatively well against the Olympics that are taking place in Rio.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 8 – UEFA presidential candidate Aleksander Ceferin has issued his manifesto focussing on the need for Europe’s lesser-known clubs and countries to be given proper opportunities in major competitions.
By Paul Nicholson
August 8 – If the FBI is having trouble finding (and arresting) Brazilian football president Marco Polo del Nero then they should have a word with FIFA’s new president Gianni Infantino. He was pictured at the weekend hanging out with del Nero in Rio de Janeiro during the opening days of the Olympic games.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 8 – FIFA’s entire ethics framework has lost both credibility and independence as a result of the decision to clear Gianni Infantino of any misconduct despite a string of persistent allegations over serious ethics breaches. That is the view of Mark Pieth, the Swiss governance expert first brought in by FIFA to oversee the reform process.
August 8 – After 30 years in charge, Silvio Berlusconi has agreed to sell Serie A giant AC Milan to a group of Chinese investors for €740 million, a price that includes about €220 million of debt.
August 8 – Two games, no goals, booed off twice in four days by their own fans and now clinging on for dear life. Brazil’s men may have won the World Cup a record five times but their dreams of winning Olympic gold for the first time hang by a thread after another dismal performance.
August 8 – Nineteen members of La Familia, the rightwing faction of Beitar Jerusalem, whose fans are regarded as the most hostile in Israel, have been charged with attempted murder, aggravated sabotage, racist offenses and illegal possession of weapons.
August 7 – More detail on one of the MLS expansion franchises looks to be announced in Minnesota later this month. Fans leaving the NASL game between Minnesota United and Miami FC were handed a save-the-date card for August 19 with ‘#NextStopMLS’ printed on it.
August 7 – La Liga, keen to boost its international broadcast profile and revenue, has issued guidelines and a warning to clubs that if their stadia are not seen to be 75% full on the television transmission they will fine their clubs.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 5 – FIFA’s supposed new era of credibility and respectability under Gianni Infantino took a decisive and controversial twist today when he was cleared of any misconduct despite a string of serious and persistent allegations over ethics breaches.