December 10 – On the eve of FIFA’s extraordinary congress, the Swiss FA (SFV) has confirmed they will back the Saudi bid for the 2034 World Cup, but demand human rights must be monitored by both FIFA and the ILO.
December 10 – In 1996 the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) and Nike teamed up for a partnership worth a reported $35 million per year. On Friday a new deal was announced, and times have changed!
December 10 – FIFA may still rate Lionel Messi as one of the best players in the world on current form but his peers clearly do not.
December 9 – As well as being the most successful club in Germany, FC Bayern Munich are also the biggest generators of cash. The operational arm of Bayern München AG, has reported a record revenue of €951.5 million ($1 billion) for the 2023/24 fiscal year (July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024).
December 10 – With the first 18 teams already qualified for the Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027, the AFC has drawn the next 25 teams into six qualifying groups for the confederation’s blue riband national team competition.
December 10 – Turkey’s Galatasaray have signed a one-season shirt sponsorship agreement with Alpcans, a real estate business operating in Northern Cyprus, officially known as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
December 10 – Premier League referee David Coote has been sacked after his position was deemed “untenable” by English football’s referees body following an investigation into his conduct which found his actions to be in serious breach of his contract.
December 9 – The United Soccer League (USL) continues to provide healthy competition to Major League Soccer despite its second tier status, and that crosses over into the youth game.
December 10 – This week’s capacity tracker shows the Premier League suffering from a slight attendance slump in the build-up to Christmas – a pattern reflected last season as the festive season approaches.
December 10 – Concacaf will hold the draw for Round One of its premier club competition, the Champions Cup, in Miami today. The final 27 teams have been pre-seeded based on the Concacaf club rankings.
December 10 – UEFA’s Playmakers programme made its way to Montenegro for a unique football festival last week, as the institution looked to inspire the next generation of football lovers with a female-focussed event.
December 10 – Argentinian giants River Plate have announced the introduction of facial recognition technology at their iconic Estadio Mâs Monumental, enabling fans to ‘enjoy quick, secure, and ticketless access’.
December 9 – The English Football Association is still reportedly weighing up whether it will officially endorse Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup bid at this week’s virtual FIFA Congress amid ongoing human rights concerns.
December 9 – Having held the draw for the group stage of the expanded 32-team Club World Cup, FIFA has now released the venues, dates and kick-off times for the 63 matches.
December 9 – The fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime has prompted the country’s football federation to change the national team’s kit and logo from red to green.