Mbappé turns down €300m move to Saudi Arabia as Real Madrid close in, reports
July 27 – The Kylian Mbappé saga is rolling on after the French superstar reportedly snubbed a world record offer from Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal.
Author: Paul Nicholson
Canada players’ pay dispute escalates as men’s team issue legal letters over image rights
July 27 – Canada Men’s National Team Players Association have taken a stand against Canada Soccer sponsors’ use of players’ names, images, and likenesses in their marketing and advertising.
Bundesliga targets boost in US fan engagement with Minute Media deal
July 27 – Germany’s Bundesliga have struck a partnership with digital publisher Minute Media in an effort to increase fan content and engagement in the United States.
Stats Perfom adds Swiss league to official data provision portfolio
July 27 – The Swiss Football league (SFL) has chosen Stats Perform as its official data partner in a three-season deal that will run into 2026 and boost the league’s real time statistics and visual data content for fans.
Spurs owner Joe Lewis indicted in US for insider trading
July 26 – Joe Lewis, the Bahamas-based British billionaire and veteran owner of Premier League Tottenham Hotspur, has been sensationally charged in New York with “orchestrating a brazen insider trader scheme”.
TFF says CAS ruling on FIFA’s new agency rules does not apply, and that PROFAA is a scam body
July 26 – The Football Forum (TFF) – an association of national football agent bodies – has said that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling against the Professional Football Agents Association’s (PROFAA) challenge of FIFA’s new Football Agents Regulations (FAR), does not apply to their members.
FIFA goes to market with media rights to CAF 2026 World Cup qualifying
July 26 – FIFA has issued an invitation to tender for centralised media rights to Africa’s 2026 World Cup qualifying matches ahead of the largest CAF World Cup qualifying in history.
Indigenous communities keep pressure on FIFA over ‘empty symbolism’ of WWC imagery
By Samindra Kunti in Auckland
July 26 – Indigenous Football Australia (IFA) have written to FIFA and Football Australia, slamming their “empty symbolism” of Indigenous imagery at the Women’s World Cup. FIFA, however, say work is being done on space for indigenous football.
WWC 2023 – Spain and Japan glide past Costa Rica and Zambia into last 16
By Samindra Kunti in Auckland
May 26 – Spain and Japan became the first teams to book their ticket for the Women’s World Cup’s knockout stage, sending debutants Zambia and Costa Rica home in Group C.
UEFA return Osasuna to Conference League after current management cleared of match-fixing
July 26 – Osasuna have overturned their European ban, issued as a result of decade-old match-fixing scandal.
UEFA fines Croatia €150k for racist fan chants at Nations League finals
July 26 – The Croatian FA has been fined €150,000 for offensive chants and disorder by fans at the Nations League Finals last month.
Textor parachutes in Caçapa for Molenbeek’s return to Belgian Pro League
July 26 – On the eve of their return to the Belgian top flight, RWD Molenbeek have announced that former Brazil international Claudio Caçapa (pictured) will manage the club.
Signify puts Threat Matrix into new dedicated sports division, Marsh hired to run business
July 26 – Data science and articificial intelligence specialists Signify Group, have launched a newly created sports division, Signify Sport.
Vardar Skopje uses funds form membership card scheme to settle debt and secure license to play
July 24 – North Macedonia’s Vardar Skopje has been granted a license to play in the country’s top tier after the clubs used funds raised from the sale of membership cards to settle debt built up by the club’s former owner Slobodan Krstevski.
Aussies lead on ticket sales as WWC2023 breaks attendance records
July 25 – FIFA have said that the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will be the best-attended edition ever of the tournament after selling more than 1.5 million tickets five days into the tournament.