September 17 – In the first set of FIFA rankings since the Coronavirus pandemic suspended fixtures globally in March, Belgium have retained their position at the top with Portugal moving into the top five following this month’s Nations League fixtures.
September 17 – Paris St-Germain’s Brazilian superstar Neymar has been banned for two games for his part in the brawl at the end of the fiery Ligue 1 game against arch-rivals Marseille last weekend.
September 17 – Online gaming company W88 has extended its sponsorship with Premier League Leicester City to the end of the current 2020/21 season. No value was given for the deal.
By Paul Nicholson
September 16 – FIFA has signed a memorandum of understanding with anti-corruption agency, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) “to step up their joint cooperation to address threats posed by crime to sport,” said a FIFA press release.
September 16 – Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Conmebol has maintained October’s World Cup qualifying fixtures following consultation with FIFA.
September 16 – FIFA’s former number two Jerome Valcke told the second day of his tv rights corruption trial how he had struggled “with no income” since losing his job as Sepp Blatter’s right-hand man.
September 16 – Manchester City have renewed their partnership with Korean tyre giant, Nexen Tire, for a third term, keeping their sleeve sponsorship position and adding sleeve branding to the women’s team, training kit branding and the club’s esports team.
September 15 – The so-called “third man” in the corruption trial of FIFA’s disgraced former secretary general Jerome Valcke (pictured) and Paris Saint-Germain chief Nasser Al-Khelaifi failed to show up when the high-profile case began this week in the Swiss city of Bellinzona.
September 15 – Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has topped the Forbes list for highest-earning footballers in 2020, beating his eternal rival and Juventus player Cristiano Ronaldo.
September 15 – The Moroccan capital of Rabat has been confirmed as host of next year’s eagerly anticipated Confederation of African Football (CAF) presidential elections. What hasn’t is whether under-fire CAF current president Ahmad will stand again.
September 15 – Paris Saint-Germain say they “strongly support” Neymar after the Brazilian superstar claimed he was the victim of racist abuse following his red card in Sunday’s ill-tempered defeat to Marseille.
September 15 – The hiring of a law firm by Mike Ashley and Newcastle United to contest the Premier League’s decision-making over the proposed takeover of the club by a Saudi-led consortium raises new questions over whether the deal for the club could be put back together.
September 15 – The Copa Libertadores resumes on Tuesday with Colo Colo taking on Penarol and Jorge Wilstermann playing Athletico Paranaense in Group C in an elaborate exercise that will test Conmebol, the clubs and the players with three out of the continent’s ten domestic leagues still on hold.
September 15 – UEFA has today launched a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the acquisition of media rights for the Women’s Champions League 2021–25 cycle.
September 15 – Israel are happy to travel to fulfil their European Championship play-off against Scotland despite a national lockdown.