December 2 – Premier League stadiums once again showcased near-capacity crowds, with match week 14 averaging an impressive 98.53% attendance – the third best of the season behind match weeks 1 and 11. Here’s how the weekend unfolded.
December 2 – Ten-man Botafogo clinched their first-ever Copa Libertadores with a 3-1 win against Atletico Mineiro in a gripping final in Buenos Aires on Saturday.
December 2 – Implicated in the Canadian drone-spying scandal that has already cost Canadian women’s coach Bev Priestman her job following the Paris Olympics, John Herdman has resigned as coach of Toronto FC, though his resignation has not been directly linked to that scandal.
December 2 – Fiorentina midfielder Edoardo Bove is in intensive care in hospital after collapsing on the pitch during his side’s Serie A match against Inter Milan on Sunday.
December 2 – Illegal streams of professional football have long been a thorn in the side of broadcasters. In France that has been taken to a new level according to stark new findings presented by LFP Media, the commercial entity of the Professional Football League (LFP).
December 2 – Soccerex will hold the next edition of its conference and exhibition format in association with Sports Expo in Egypt in February 2025.
December 2 – Just over a month ago, the dream match-up of New York and LA squared off for a world title as the Yankees lost to the Dodgers in Major League Baseball World Series. On Saturday the two cities will meet again in Carson for the right to be called MLS Cup Champion.
December 2 – Bulgaria’s Botev Plovdiv have confirmed that the club’s owner Anton Zingarevich (pictured) has been issued with a government ban on entering the country for a period of ten years. The club said that the Bulgarian authorities had confirmed the ban, but did not give any reasons for the decision.
December 2 – At 37-years-young, Luis Suarez is proving that age is indeed a number as he signed a contract extension with Major League Soccer’s (MLS), Inter Miami, that will see him remain in Florida until the end of the 2025 season.
December 2 – UEFA has unveiled its Women’s Euro 2025 mascot, Maddli, a Saint Bernard puppy, named after Madeleine Boll, the first ever female licensed footballer in Switzerland.
November 29 – Female fans of the women’s game across the world oppose FIFA’s current deal with Saudi Aramco based on environmental, women’s rights, and LGBTQ+ rights grounds, a poll by the New Weather Institute has found.
November 29 – Even if you are not qualified to run football, you can be president – in Georgia that is.
November 29 – Global players’ union FIFPRO has announced UEFA’s former head of governance and compliance, Alex Phillips, as its new secretary general.
November 29 – In an all-Brazilian affair, Botafogo will be favourites against Atletico Mineiro in the final of the Copa Libertadores, South America’s premier club competition.
November 29 – Lionel Messi may have had a stellar career and been the world’s best player for many illustrious years, but at 37, does he still genuinely merit being nominated by FIFA for their Best Player award or has the organisation thrown his name into the hat just to make sure they have all bases covered?