January 16 – In a rare move, France’s main football union is launching legal action to protect professional players from the mental pressure their clubs put on them when they are cold-shouldered until they sign a new contract or agree to just leave.
January 15 – The Chinese businessman who owns English club Reading has been fined £50,000 for financial mismanagement and told that he needs to “fund the club adequately” or make “immediate arrangements” to sell up.
January 16 – Ahead of their second group game with hosts Qatar, Tajikistan and their coach Petar Segrt are dreaming of making history at the Asian Cup, by scoring their first-ever goal and taking another step toward qualification for the last 16.
January 15 – SuperSportbet, the South African online bookmaker just launched by South African sports broadcaster SuperSport, has has agreed a sponsorship with two South African Premier Division (DStv Premiership) clubs – Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.
January 16 – Bulgarian club Botev Plovdiv has signed a sponsorship with Right Pack, one of the leading packaging manufacturers in Bulgaria, though what the sponsorship entails is unclear.
January 16 – The AFC Asian Cup 2023 opener witnessed a record-breaking attendance on Friday evening, as the tournament kicked off in spectacular fashion.
January 15 – An open letter has been sent by a Swedish sixth tier football club Proletären FF to Fredrik Reinfeldt, chairman of the Swedish Football Association, calling for the suspension of Israel from international football.
January 15 – A Turkish-based Israeli player faces prosecution for showing solidarity during a goal celebration with the hostages taken in the October 7 Hamas attacks.
January 15 – The dates for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals, scheduled for Morocco, are up in the air because of a potential clash with the new-look Club World Cup.
January 15 – Jordan got their Asian Cup campaign off to a brilliant start with a 4-0 victory over a naive Malaysia to take top spot in Group E.
January 15 – A third-tier English game between Reading and Port Vale was abandoned after just 16 minutes on Saturday after about 1,000 home fans invaded the pitch to protest against the Reading’s Chinese ownership.
January 15 – In an energetic game at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Doha, Iraq were victorious 3-1 over underdogs Indonesia as both sides fought to join Japan at the top of Group D.
January 15 – With the 2023 AFC Asian Cup underway, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) has announced the launch of the ‘Falcon’s Nest’ fan zone, where supporters can ‘enjoy an extraordinary experience’ while in Qatar for the quadrennial showpiece.
January 15 – Hosts and two-time winners Ivory Coast began with a 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau but hotly favoured Egypt and Nigeria were both held and Ghana beaten as the African Cup of Nations got under way at the weekend with a spate of surprises.
January 15 – Continental heavyweights South Korea breezed past Bahrain 3-1 with a second-half brace from Paris Saint-Germain star Lee Kang-In to get their Asian Cup off to a winning start.