October 27 – South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns were crowned the African champions after overcoming Egypt’s Zamalek to win the 2016 CAF Champions League. In December they will represent Africa at the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan, the first South African side to do so.
October 27 – The football world is paying tribute to Carlos Alberto Torres, captain of Brazil’s 1970 World Cup-winning team – regarded as possibly the greatest national side of all time – and scorer of one of the sport’s most memorable goals who has died aged 72 at his home in Rio de Janeiro.
October 25 – A comparison of Twitter Followers, Facebook Likes and Instagram Followers across the Premier League shows that Manchester United dominates on all three social media platforms.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 25 – The US-led probe into football corruption took another significant twist on Thursday when a Florida-based sports channel, GoITV Inc, sued Fox Sports Latin America alleging that Fox executives had paid tens of millions of dollars in bribes to CONMEBOL officials in exchange for lucrative television rights to tournaments, according to the Washington Post.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 25 – Former FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan says football’s world governing body has got its priorities wrong under Gianni Infantino, the man who beat him to the sport’s most powerful position.
October 25 – The English FA has confirmed an £820 million six-season international broadcast rights deal for its FA Cup domestic competition, the oldest club competition in world football.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 24 – European leagues are seeking membership of UEFA’s executive committee as part of negotiations to stave off a potential fixture free-for-all next season.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 24 – Qatar’s 2022 World Cup organisers were taken completely by surprise over FIFA’s decision to scrap local organising committees for its flagship event. Earlier this month, as part of its grandiose roadmap for the future, FIFA announced that after Russia the World Cup would be organised centrally as part of its plan take “full control of all money flows”.
October 24 – Five Premier League clubs reported capacities of over 99% and nine over 94.99% in the weekly attendance table. A remarkable attendance rate if everyone had turned up and actually filled those seats. But it is clear in Arsenal’s case that the seats may be bought but not all the fans are bothering to turn up.
October 24 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino says more needs to be done to develop women’s football in regions where female players are often prevented from taking up the sport.
October 24 – The English FA is to increase its budget for women’s football to £17.7 million, a 16% increase, as the national governing body seeks to increase primary school (up to age 11) participation by girls in the game from its current 40%.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 21 – The simmering dispute over proposed changes to the Champions League escalated dramatically today when Europe’s major leagues threatened to rip up their working relationship with UEFA next spring unless the governing body meets their demands for the controversial deal to be either scrapped or tweaked.
October 21 – Newly appointed Russian deputy prime minister Vitaly Mutko, promoted from sports minister, says he may stand down as president of the Russian Football Union (RFU).
By Andrew Warshaw
October 21 – American marketing executive Aaron Davidson has pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in the US-led probe into football corruption and has had his trial set for April 24 next year.
October 21 – New UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has given the biggest hint yet that a bidding process will be put in place for staging UEFA’s major club finals.