2026 World Cup host selectors to pick 16 cities across North America by year end
January 27 – FIFA plans to appoint host cities for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico by the last quarter of this year.
News
NBC Sports closure raises questions over $1.3bn Premier League deal
January 27 – Premier League broadcast rights partner NBC, is shutting its Sports Network in the US and is expected to close operations by the end of 2021.
FIFA steps in to clear Motsepe and Yahya to run for CAF presidency
January 27 – World federation FIFA has cleared all four candidates, including South Africa’s Patrice Motsepe (pictured) and Mauritania’s Ahmed Yahya both whose eligibility had been in doubt, to run in the presidential elections of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
FIFA’s Mosengo-Omba tells Africa they have common aims, but CAF must clean up its act
January 27 – The next president of the African Football Confederation must be “absolutely honest”, according to FIFA’s Chief Member Associations Officer, Veron Mosengo-Omba.
Man City build on partner link forged by Mumbai City FC
January 27 – Premier League Manchester City have gone ownership local with a new partnership with life insurer Zurich International Life, who will become the Club’s Official Insurance Partner in the United Arab Emirates, the country of the club’s owner.
Premier League registers further drop in number of covid positive tests
January 26 – The English Premier League has confirmed eight positive coronavirus cases were recorded in the latest batch of testing – half the number recorded last week.
Senegal’s Senghor puts himself at front of race for CAF presidency
January 26 – Senegal’s Augustin Senghor has taken the bold step of declaring himself as favourite to win the increasingly bitter election race to become the new Confederation of African (CAF) president in succession to the disgraced Ahmad Ahmad.
Defensa y Justicia win all-Argentinean battle for Copa Sudamericana
January 26 – Hernan Crespo and Defensa y Justicia clinched their first ever international title with a 3-0 victory against Lanus in the Copa Sudamericana final.
MLS sets new season dates but still has to agree wage deal with players
January 26 – The 26th season of the Major League Soccer (MLS) will kick off on April 3 and conclude in November, though player wage negotiations still hang as a cloud over the competition.
End of a icon. Chelsea boot Lampard into the stands
November 25 – Chelsea’s notorious policy of impatience and short-termism is back in the spotlight after the club sacked Frank Lampard as manager.
Turkish delight: Ozil leaves Arsenal on a free for cash-strapped Fenerbahce
By Andrew Warshaw
January 25 – He cost almost £42 million when he moved to Arsenal over seven years ago, then a club record, helped Germany win the World Cup, earned an eye-watering weekly fortune but has now been transferred for precisely nothing.
Serie B’s Pisa is latest Italian club to move into foreign ownership
January 25 – Alexander Knaster, an Anglo-American tycoon of Russian origin, has acquired a 75% stake in Italian Serie B side Pisa Sporting Club.
CAF bans Kenyan bosses after refusing to allow players to take covid tests
January 25 – The Confederation of African Football has banned two Football Kenya Federation (FKF) officials for six months after they were found guilty of breaching Covid-19 rules during the country’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Comoros in November.
AFC builds on Konami renewal to cover national team and club competitions
January 25 – The AFC has renewed and expanded its deal with video game maker Konami Digital Entertainment across national team and club competitions for the 2021-2024 rights cycle.
Beckham backs old pal Neville asserting he is in Miami on merit
January 25 – David Beckham insists that his former England and Manchester United teammate Phil Neville was appointed as Inter Miami head coach since he is “the right man for the job” rather than anything to do with their friendship.