October 9 – With Spain and Portugal having confirmed their joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup, their two top leagues have similarly renewed their vows, extending a cooperation agreement signed in 2017 for a further three years.
October 9 – Paraguay and Peru drew 2-2, Uruguay defeated Chile 2-1 and Lionel Messi dragged Argentina to a 1-0 win over Ecuador on Thursday to get the South American qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup finally under way after the coronavirus shutdown.
October 9 – On a night of nerve-shredding action, Serbia reached the Euro 2020 playoff finals Thursday with a 2-1 away win away over Norway after extra time while seven other nations joined them across four different groups in what promises to be a series of thrilling head-to-head climaxes next month.
October 9 – With the rules of football under more scrutiny than ever – offside, handball, VAR etc – FIFA’s recently appointed Head of Global Development, Arsene Wenger, has come up with some forward-looking ideas he believes will improve the game.
October 9 – An under-19 friendly between England and Scotland on Thursday was abandoned during the first half after the visitors’ head coach Billy Stark tested positive for Covid-19.
October 8 – German prosecutors have searched several offices of the German Football Association (DFB) in the latest investigation into corruption, this time over the conduct of six former and current DFB bosses suspected of serious tax evasion.
October 8 – Gianni Infantino praised Qatar’s preparations for the 2022 World Cup amid the difficulty of navigating the coronavirus pandemic after a visit to the Al Bayt stadium and a meeting with the Emir.
October 8 – January 9 is the date being reported in Spain that could spell the end of the reign of Barcelona supremo Josep Maria Bartomeu in a no confidence vote.
October 8 – On the day they played each other in an Iberian friendly, Spain and Portugal announced Wednesday they were pushing ahead with a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup.
October 8 – More than 200 national association members of FIFA have signed up for the Arsene Wenger-led Talent Development Programme.
October 8 – The president of Madagascar’s football federation, Raoul Rabekoto, is reportedly still missing and under an international arrest warrant for allegedly embezzling €25 million.
October 7 – English football’s governing bodies have joined forces in an attempt to force the government to reverse its decision to put plans on hold to allow fans back into stadiums in a safe and socially distanced manner.
By Paul Nicholson
October 7 – The Trinidad and Tobago FA have been given a deadline of December 18 by FIFA to get their suspension lifted or face exclusion from the Qatar 2022 World Cup Qualifiers. The TTFA has been given the same deadline for the 2021 Gold Cup.
October 7 – When FIFA football isn’t being played in an international window, politics will be. FIFA president Gianni Infantino was in Paris earlier this week to meet French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace, also present was French FA president Noël Le Graët.
October 7 – Junior Flemmings, a Jamaican midfielder with second-tier US club Phoenix Rising, has been banned for six games for using a homophobic slur that led to opponents San Diego Loyal walking off in protest and the match being called off.