Xavi prefers heat of Qatar to hotseat of Barca
January 13 – FC Barcelona’s search for a new manager to succeed Ernesto Valverde continues after Xavi turned down his former club.
Author: Paul Nicholson
Greeks condemn Larissa fans who racially abused French youth star Abou Ba
February 13 – The Greek football union have joined a chorus of condemnation over the racist abuse of Aris Thessaloniki’s young French midfielder Abou Ba during a top-flight fixture at Larissa on Saturday.
Spanish fans set record attendance levels acoss LaLiga’s top two divisions
January 13 – LaLiga is reporting more than 7.6 million fans attended matches in the first half of the 2019/20 season in Spain’s top two divisions, up by 85,727 on last season (a rise of 1.53%).
eMLS kicks off with win for Cincinnati’s Fiddle
January 13 – While the MLS season doesn’t kick off until the end of February, its eSports equivalent has already kicked off with the first stage of 2020 eMLS competition played this weekend in Philadelphia.
‘Very happy’ Infantino kicks off new decade by joining IOC
By David Owen
January 10 – FIFA President Gianni Infantino has officially joined world sport’s most prestigious club. The 49-year-old was one of three new International Olympic Committee (IOC) members inducted at the 135th IOC Session in Lausanne on Friday.
Spurs hunt for striker as Kane goes under the knife
January 10 – England captain Harry Kane’s perennial injury jinx has struck again, this time for far longer, leaving his club Tottenham Hotspur reportedly scouring the transfer market for cover.
Nigeria steps up with offer to host WAFCON 2020, Equatorial Guinea also interested
January 10 – The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has expressed interest in hosting this year’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after Congo-Brazaville withdrew from staging the tournament.
Barrett takes over crisis hit FAI with mandate to overhaul finances and governance
January 10 – The embattled Football Association of Ireland (FAI), desperately looking for a financial bailout by the Irish government, has appointed Roy Barrett (pictured), managing director at Goodbody Stockbrokers, as the board’s new independent chairperson.
Serie A gets another new boss with Dal Pino given mandate to sort mess out
January 10 – Italy’s Serie A, mired in multiple integrity issues including its failure to act on institutional racist issues, election malfeasance and its controversial Super Cup deal with Saudi Arabia, has elected Paolo Dal Pino as its new president.
Player power. FIFPro ‘amplifies’ its voice with new player council
January 10 – International players’ union FIFPro has launched a Global Player Council to strengthen the role of male and female professional footballers.
Platini in play? Will FIFPro presidency be former UEFA chief’s return to world stage?
January 10 – In search of a final career challenge, has Michel Platini decided which path to take?
Mane misses Senegal celebration as travel disruption forces him back to Liverpool
January 9 – Senegal’s Sadio Mane has apologised for not visiting his homeland before returning to Liverpool after being named African Player of the Year.
Concacaf get ready for Tokyo 2020 qualifiers with Mexican draw
January 10 – With the AFC’s U23 Championship and Olympic qualifiers in full swing, Concacaf have announced the draw for the eight-team tournament that will qualify their two teams for the Tokyo 2020 game.
No ‘Clasico’ for Spain’s Saudi Super Cup as Madrid teams take centre stage
January 10 – Amid all the criticism over human rights abuses and accusations of sports washing at the address of Saudi Arabia and its hosting of the Spanish Super Cup, Atletico Madrid tore up the script on Thursday in Jeddah by defeating FC Barcelona 2-3 to set up a Spanish Super Cup final against city rivals Real Madrid.
US international Dest quits Ajax training camp in Qatar over safety fears
January 10 – Ajax’s United States international right-back Sergino Dest has left his club’s training camp in Qatar because he does “not feel comfortable” amid rising political tensions between the US and Qatar’s neighbour Iran.