Tabcorp made to eat humble pie after £84,000 Gambling Commission fine
April 16 – A betting firm which offered odds on an English non-league player eating a pie on camera during a high-profile cup match has been fined £84,000.
News
Wenger calls for VAR in Premier League after Arsenal beaten at Newcastle
April 16 – Arsene Wenger, the longest-serving manager in the English Premier League, says the decision not to implement video assistant referees next season is a serious retrograde step that flies in the face of progress.
Huddersfield swap Puma for Umbro in new 4-year kit deal
April 16 – Premier League Huddersfield Town, who took a vital three points towards top division safety this weekend, will next year be switching the kit supply deal back to Umbro, ending their current deal with Puma.
Spurs extend FUN88 sponsorship deal for Asia and Latin America
April 15 – Tottenham Hotspur has extended its deal with online gaming brand FUN88 which stays as the club’s Official Betting Partner in Asia and Latin America.
CONMEBOL nations pledge votes to United 2026 World Cup bid
By Paul Nicholson
April 14 – South American confederation CONMEBOL has pledged the votes of its 10 member associations to the United 2026 bid (Canada, Mexico and the US). Their announcement gives the North Americans a timely boost with FIFA’s 2026 bid evaluation committee having just completed their four-city tour of North America, and now heading to bid rival Morocco.
Infantino says it is time for a 24-team Club World Cup, but ducks the $25bn question
April 13 – He is remaining tight-lipped about details of the $25 billion buyout offer for the Club World Cup and a global Nations League, but FIFA president Gianni Infantino was keen to expand on his plans for the Club World Cup.
48 for 2022? Why wait? Conmebol and Infantino want bigger, better, more
By Andrew Warshaw
April 13 – Ever since Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup, the Gulf state has consistently played down the possibility that matches might be shared with its neighbours.
Champions League semis: Real vs Bayern, Liverpool vs Roma
April 13 – Real Madrid have been drawn against Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the Champions League as they continue their quest of trying to become the first team for over 40 years to win the title three times in a row and the first in the tournament’s current guise.
Crystal Palace close in on £100m stadium extension
April 13 – Premier League Crystal Palace are edging towards a £100 million redevelopment of the main stand of the Selhurst Park stadium with local planning officers recommending the build should be allowed.
Ayr United take bitcoin payment for new BCH shirt sponsorship
April 13 – Scottish League 1 side Ayr United have landed a global first with their new shirt sponsor paying in bitcoin.
SoftBank named as one of Infantino’s $25bn FIFA buyout backers
By Paul Nicholson
April 12 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino was reluctant to divulge detail of the $25 billion buyout bid for the Club World Cup and a Nations League competition to his own stakeholders at FIFA Council and to European clubs, but it appears the guys with the money have fewer qualms over releasing more of the detail of their proposal.
Blatter says Morocco have a right to pitch full FIFA Congress their 2026 bid
By Andrew Warshaw
April 12 – Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has added his voice to growing discontent over the criteria for selecting the 2026 World Cup hosts.
Pep’s pushy protestations put him on penalty path, Liverpool already there
April 12 – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has been charged with improper conduct following during Tuesday’s Champions League defeat by Liverpool.
Manchester City builds on-line gaming presence in Korea with Nexon deal
April 12 – Korean gaming company Nexon has become Manchester City’s official social football gaming partner in South Korea. Nexon already has a partnership with Manchester United that was signed in 2015.
Are the Gunners shooting themselves and the league in the foot with their crowd figures?
April 11 – It has hard to know who Arsenal are trying to fool, but reporting an official crowd attendance of 59,374 when there were more like 45,000 in the stadium smacks of the vain kind of hope that Arsene Wenger is suddenly going to get it all right and they are going to win the Premier League.