CAF urges ‘open minded’ debate on biennial World Cup
September 15 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has declared itself open-minded over the proposal of a biennial World Cup, seeking to support the “best interests of football”.
Author: Paul Nicholson
Brand building or brand segmentation? LaLiga hives off ElClasico with its own visual id
September 15 – Brand identity gurus will tell you that ‘look and feel’ must be consistent and rigorously enforced across the whole property all the time. So LaLiga’s decision to create a special logo and brand identity for EIClasico is intriguing.
LaLiga’s Cadiz sign shirt sponsorship and Fan Token deal with Bitci
September 15 – Following in the footsteps of Valencia, Cadiz FC have become the second La Liga club to strike a crypto partnership as title sponsor, teaming up with Bitci for the current season.
LaLiga keeps up push into crypto-based fan engagement with Socios.com deal
September 15: Having launched their first major foray into blockchain and crypto last week with player card NFTs, in conjunction with fantasy game Sorare, LaLiga this week has followed up this week announcing a deal with Fan Token specialist Socios.com.
PSG get top pass mark, Celtic rank third, Man City fourth
September 15 – PSG has topped a ranking of teams according to the number of passes made per match during current season. The data is pulled 36 leagues worldwide – 32 in Europe and 4 in the Americas.
Chelsea open Champions League defence. Can Europe’s clubs compete with the English?
By Samindra Kunti
September 14 – Chelsea open their defence of the Champions League tonight at home to Zenit St Petersburg, kicking off the European club season in earnest. The question in Europe is whether Chelsea and their English counterparts will also be kickstarting an age of Premier League dominance in the European Cup?
South Africa volunteer to take over Club World Cup hosting from Japan
September 14 – South Africa has expressed interest in hosting the Club World Cup after Japan relinquished the hosting rights because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Concacaf says it is time for analysis, not ‘fearmongering’, over biennial WC proposal
September 24 – Concacaf has said that it “recognises the merits” of FIFA’s plan to create a new international match calendar – which would include a biennial World Cup – and that it will look at the proposals with an “open mind” and “positive engagement”.
CFU boss Harris believes biennial WC would help a Caribbean that is failing to compete
September 14 – Caribbean Football Union (CFU) President Randy Harris has backed FIFA’s plans for a biennial World Cup, arguing that it would offer more “high-quality playing opportunities” for his member associations.
AFC ‘welcomes’ international calendar discussion with emphasis on Asian inclusivity
By Paul Nicholson
September 14 – The AFC has made a statement on the International Match Calendar consultations,”welcoming” discussion on the proposed calendar revamp and biennial World Cup, and emphasising that it’s focus in the talks will be on ensuring Asian voices are represented.
WCL group draw: Barca meet Arsenal, Lyon get Bayern, Chelsea face Juve, PSG draw Real Madrid
September 14 – European champions Barcelona were grouped with Arsenal, Hoffenheim and HB Køge from Denmark in the draw for the remodelled 16-team Women’s Champions League.
CFG’s Man City and NYCFC combine for joint WeWork partnership
September 14 – City Football Group (CFG) clubs Manchester City and New York City FC have signed a new partnership with office space provider WeWork.
AFC cruising on sea and in air with Sport 24 syndication
September 14 – Having conquered most of the world’s ground territory in distributing its broadcast right to its major competitions, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has now taken to the skies and seas.
Conmebol says ‘no sporting justification’ for biennial World Cup
By Samindra Kunti
September 13 – South American confederation Conmebol has come out against plans for a biennial World Cup, joining UEFA as a critic and powerful opponent of FIFA’s dramatic proposal to overhaul the international match calendar.
Saudi Arabia targets top 20 FIFA ranking with launch of new strategy
September 13 – Saudi football is aiming for the sky. On Saturday, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) launched a new strategic development plan that aims to lift the Kingdom to the elite circle of the game by the time of the 2034 World Cup.