July 5 – Rumours of Lionel Messi’s possible departure from Barcelona have been well and truly crushed after the Argentine superstar agreed a contract extension which will keep him at his boyhood club until 2021.
July 5 – Mergers and acquisitions specialists Blackbridge Cross Borders form the UK and Whitecap Sports from the US have formed a strategic partnership to open up the US market to European/Asian investors and vice versa.
July 4 – The Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) has ruled against Italian club Fiorentina,in their €32 million claim against Chelsea over the loan transfer of Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah.
July 3 – The Scottish Premier Football League (SPFL) has boosted total prize to £1.6 million and TV payments to almost £500,000 for the 2017 Betfred Cup. The 15% increase includes a record £250,000 for the competition winners.
June 30 – Sunderland owner Ellis Short (pictured) has taken the club off the market after sales talks with potential new German owners broke down.
June 29 – West Bromwich Albion’s Chinese owner Guochuan Lai (pictured) and landscaping company Palm plan to construct up to six ‘soccer towns’ across China as part of Lai’s expansion of the West Brom brand across China.
By Mark Baber
Junne 29 – Leeds United have confirmed that their parent company has completed the purchase of the Elland Road Stadium, as had been promised by new Chairman Andrea Radrizzani.
June 27 – TV revenues have revolutionised club football finances in Europe. But it is how those revenues are distributed that is crucial to the competitive integrity of leagues, the sustainability of clubs and the competitive balance between the rich and poor.
By Paul Nicholson
June 26 – The messy divorce of English businessman Mike Ashley from his involvement in Scottish giants Rangers now looks to be complete with Ashley having sold his remaining 8.9% shareholding in Rangers International Football Club for £2 million.
June 23 – After three years of being run by doughnuts, far fallen Leyton Orient have been taken over by a man who runs a doughnut company. A consortium led by Baskin Robbins and Dunkin’ Donuts chief executive Nigel Travis (pictured with friends) has completed its takeover.
By Mark Baber
June 22 – A newly formed partnership between Malawi and Morocco will see the Moroccan government inject $5 million into Football Association of Malawi (FAM) infrastructure projects via the Federation of Royal Moroccan Football (FRMF).
By Paul Nicholson
June 22 – Scottish Premiership side Rangers have reached a new retail agreement in their long running and bitter dispute with Mike Ashley and Sports Direct (SD).
June 21 – Both RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg have been given the go ahead to participate in the UEFA Champions League, having restructured their relationships with the Austrian Red Bull energy drinks company to overcome the regulatory prohibition on common ownership of clubs.
June 20 – Sunderland’s relegation from the Premier League also saw the resignation of manager David Moyes over lack of transfer funds, and has accelerated the desire of American owner Ellis Short to sell the club. The club announced it is prioritising its sale over the search for a new manager.
June 20 – The merger of daily fantasy sports DraftKings and FanDuel has been temporarily shelved after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) stepped in to block the deal.