Spain mourns loss of Real Madrid legend Paco Gento, aged 88
January 19 – Real Madrid and Spain legend Francisco ‘Paco’ Gento, the only player to have won the old European Cup six times, has died aged 88.
News
Mannaert to keep Belgian Pro League role despite being named in ‘Clean Hands’ probe
By Samindra Kunti
January 18 – Club Brugge’s Vincent Mannaert (pictured) has retained his six-month mandate to lead the Pro League, even after he was named as one of 57 suspects in operation ‘Clean Hands’.
AFCON: CAS overrules FIFA and allows banned Papa Gueye back into Senegal team
January 18 – In a snub to FIFA, the Court of Arbitration for Sport has overturned a decision to suspend Pape Gueye from the African Cup of Nations with the Marseille midfielder now free to play for Senegal.
Heart trouble: Arsenal’s Aubameyang leaves Gabon squad
January 18 – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang insists he departed the Africa Cup of Nations due to medical reasons and played down speculation of a disciplinary breach.
Burnley lose another fixture as covid hits squad
January 18 – Burnley vs Leicester has become the latest Premier League game to be postponed because of Covid-19 and injuries among home players.
Brand Britain: Premier League generated £7.6bn for UK economy in covid-hit 2019-20
January 18 – An economic and social impact report highlights the contribution of the Premier League to brand Britain, as well as the important social role it plays within the UK and in England in particular.
Yellow card amnesty for European World Cup plays offs benefits 100 players, but not Ibra
January 18 – An amnesty for yellow cards in European qualifying for the World Cup has lifted the threat of suspension for dozens of players involved in the playoffs in March.
Sale of Watkins and Benrahma offsets operating losses at Premier League new boys Brentford
By David Owen
January 18 – Brentford, the West London club whose finances have been transformed by promotion to the top tier for the first time since 1946-47, have produced figures for the year to end-June 2021, their promotion season.
Lewandowski and Putellas take Best player awards, Chelsea scoop up coaches’ gongs
January 18 – Less than two months after being snubbed for the Ballon d’Or, Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski beat Argentine superstar Lionel Messi and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah to pick up the FIFA best men’s player award for 2021.
AS Monaco to release first batch of $ASM Fan Tokens today, priced €2
January 18 – AS Monaco launches its $ASM Fan Token on the Socios.com app today (January 18), priced €2 per token.
Girondins dumps Winamax shirt sponsorship after series of mocking tweets
January 18 – French Ligue 1 club Girondins de Bordeaux have ended their shirt sponsorship deal Winamax after the club decided it had had enough of a series of mocking tweets from its online bookmaking partner.
Has Infantino deserted FIFA HQ with his new residency in Qatar?
January 17 – With friends in European football few and far between, and the authorities in his own country of Switzerland ramping up their criminal investigation into him with the appointment of two special prosecutors, FIFA president Gianni Infantino appears to have decamped to Doha, Qatar.
Belgium football ripped apart as prosecutors name 57 in ‘Clean Hands’ probe
By Samindra Kunti
January 17 – Brugge strongmen Bart Verhaeghe and Vincent Mannaert, AA Gent’s Michel Louwagie, Standard’s Bruno Venanzi, Charleroi’s Mehdi Bayat and FIFA’s Steven Martens were named among the 57 suspects that the federal prosecutor wants in court in operation ‘Clean Hands’, the largest investigation into match-fixing and corruption in the history of Belgian football.
FIFA technical director Martens wanted in connection with Belgian corruption case
By Samindra Kunti
January 17 – Belgian authorities want FIFA technical director Steven Martens in court. He was named as one of 57 football administrators, coaches and referees that the federal prosecutor wants to charge as part of operation ‘Clean Hands’, the largest investigation into match-fixing and corruption in the history of the Belgian game.
AFCON: Algeria slip but Cameroon, Morocco and Nigeria progress
January 17 – Equatorial Guinea stunned Algeria 1-0 to leave the defending champions in danger of exiting the Africa Cup of Nations in the first round. Hosts Cameroon and powerhouses Morocco and Nigeria have all ensured their passage to the knockout phase.