By Paul Nicholson in Doha
December 12 – Guests, dignitaries and media are gathering in Doha, Qatar, for the launch on Saturday of the Lusail Stadium design that will be the showpiece venue hosting the opening match and final of the 2022 World Cup.
December 14 – LaLiga has brought in sports marketing agency IMG to boost its global sponsorship sales as it continues its international revenue drive.
By Paul Nicholson
December 13 – Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona, a member of CAF’s executive committee and president of the Central African Republic FA, has been arrested in France and charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity including murder, torture and the recruitment of child soldiers.
By Samindra Kunti
December 13 – Japan have dropped Borussia Dortmund star Shinji Kagawa from their Asian Cup squad with coach Hajime Moriyasu opting for youth.
December 13 – Using cases like Gibraltar and Kosovo as precedents, Spain’s Basque region is to request formal recognition from both FIFA and UEFA following a vote by its local assembly.
December 13 – Morocco have pulled out of the running to step in as replacement hosts of next June’s African Nations Cup leaving South Africa and Egypt as front-runners.
December 13 – Despite UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin’s preference for one sole bid from Europe, a Balkan grouping of countries hoping to stage the 2030 World Cup say they have just as realistic a chance as anyone else.
By Paul Nicholson
December 12 – Qatar-based pan-regional broadcaster beIN Sport has written to Serie A to ask the Italian league to reconsider the recently announced three-year deal for the staging of the Italian Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia.
December 12 – Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 World Cup is reported to be one of the key discussion points at the latest FIFA executive summit currently taking place in in Qatar and involving over 50 FIFA federations from five continents, including 18 from Asia.
December 12 – The head of African football has denied that he orchestrated the move to strip Cameroon of hosting rights for next year’s African Nations Cup, saying it was a collective decision by his confederation’s inner circle.
December 12 – As Spanish football manages an international transition from the individual appeal of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the KPMG Football Benchmark team has taken a look at the impact this could have on LaLiga’s business.
December 12 – UEFA have announced that 11 candidates, including the female member, are to stand for eight available places on its executive committee when elections take place at UEFA’s annual congress in February.
December 12 – Atlanta United’s 2-0 win over Portland Timbers at the weekend is the most watched MLS Cup since 1997.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 11 – Gianni Infantino’s closest technical advisor, Zvonimir Boban, has publicly ruled out the Qatar World Cup in 2022 being expanded to 48 teams – unless it definitely shares the tournament with its neighbours.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 11 – La Liga’s much-publicised – and also much criticised – plans to play a groundbreaking overseas game in Miami in January have been abandoned after Barcelona pulled out of the Catalan derby against Girona due to a “lack of consensus”.