September 8 – After French domestic club football was plunged into chaos because of a resurgence of Covid-19, the national team has now also been rocked with superstar Kylian Mbappe testing positive, forcing him out of tonight’s high-profile Nations League match against Croatia – a repeat of the 2018 World Cup final.
September 8 – Manchester City are the latest high-profile club to be hit with fresh Covid-19 outbreaks, with both Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte testing positive just days before the start of the new Premier League season.
September 8 – Fulham, back in the Premier League at the first time of asking, have confirmed online bookmaker BetVictor as the club’s main sponsor.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 7 – Rui Pinto, the Portuguese whistleblower whose string of incriminating revelations shook the footballing world before he was controversially extradited from Hungary, has told a Lisbon court that he acted in order to expose corruption and was proud of it.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 7 – As footballing u-turns go, they don’t come much more spectacular. Just as millions of fans worldwide were in the throes of anticipating where Lionel Messi might end up after he dropped the bombshell that he wanted to leave his beloved Barcelona, so the Argentine maestro changed his mind and said he was staying after all.
September 7 – SIGA chairman Franco Frattini kicked off the Sports Integrity Week of webinars with a strong call to action to all stakeholders in sports to be uncompromising in the battle against criminality.
September 7 – With the Serie A season imminent, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has voiced his concern over fans attending matches, arguing that it would be inappropriate at the present time.
September 9 – Moneyball guru Billy Beane (pictured) has acquired a minority share in Dutch top-flight club AZ Alkmaar. He previously held an advisory role at the Eredivisie outfit.
September 7 – Luis Rubiales is certain to be re-elected as Spanish FA president for another four years after emerging as the sole candidate to stand in elections later this month.
September 7 – The ongoing pandemic has left a big mark on the world of sports, in general, and football, in particular. When the lockdowns were still in full effect, the Football Association floated the idea of suspending the Premier League season completely – an idea rejected by several English football teams, considering that it would’ve pushed them to the brink of bankruptcy.
September 7 – FIFA’s top ranked national team Belgium have renewed their kit partnership with Adidas, taking them through to 2026.
September 7 – Chocolate brand Cadbury has added a fourth Premier League club to its sponsorship roster, becoming Liverpool’s first Official Global Chocolate Partner.
October 4 – SIGA has released the programme for its first Sport Integrity Week, taking place next week September 7 to 11.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 4 – In a move that took most of the footballing world by surprise, the English Premier League has pulled the plug on its overseas television deal with Chinese broadcaster PPTV – with immediate effect and after just one season.
September 4 – Reports of discrimination across all levels of professional football in England and Wales rose by an alarming 42% last season despite the campaign being halted for months due to Covid-19.