By Andrew Warshaw in Zurich
March 2 – Imagine the scene. It’s the opening game of the World Cup in Russia and the anticipation is at fever pitch in the stadium with billions more eagerly watching on television.
March 2 – English Championship club Nottingham Forest, anxious and ambitious for a return to the Premier League, have announced the “biggest sponsorship agreement in the club’s history” with Italy-based sportswear company Macron.
March 2 – Manchester United have signed sports nutrition experts Science in Sport as their Official Sports Nutrition Partner in the UK and Europe.
March 2 – Polish league Ekstraklasa has teamed up with Lagardère Sports Poland to explore the next steps for the league in establishing a stronger esports presence.
March 2 – The Brazilian club market for kit sponsorship deals is hotting up. Last week Santos forced Umbro into a renegotiation of a deal signed just four months ago. This week São Paulo announced they are ditching Under Armour for Adidas.
March 1 – German football may consider ditching Monday night league games following a string of protests by fans who have voted with their feet and stayed away, according to Borussia Dortmund’s chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke (pictured).
March 1 – A normalisation committee imposed in Cameroon by FIFA to try and bring an end to years of internal rifts has reportedly been extended for another six months.
March 1 – IMG and Perform have named their South American joint marketing agency venture FC Diez Media. The new company will advise CONMEBOL on their commercial rights for club competitions from 2019-22.
March 1 – Brazil’s Federal Police are claiming the price tag of Salvador’s Fonte Nova stadium, a 2014 World Cup venue, was inflated by as much as $130 million. Seven arrest warrants have been issued in connection to the investigation, including for the former governor of Bahia Jaques Wagner.
March 1 – Los Angeles’ hopes of being one of the host cities for the 2026 World Cup should the US-led bid win the vote appears to be back on track.
March 1 – Budweiser will step in to fill the official beer partnership slot of the England Senior Men’s team after Carlsberg end their 22-year association after the Russia 2018 World Cup.
March 1 – Last night’s FA Cup replay at Wembley’s 90,000 capacity stadium drew just 24,627 spectators for Tottenhams 6-1 thrashing of Rotherham in the snow. A far cry from the full house Wembley saw last Sunday for the Football League’s Carabao Cup final that saw Manchester City beat Arsenal 3-1.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 28 – Morocco looks to be closing the gap on its United States-led rival in the race to land the 2026 World Cup with the outcome in June by no means as clearcut as a few weeks ago, according to an ESPN report.
February 28 – Spanish giant Real Madrid has launched its own 360° and virtual reality channel in The Dream VR app that has more than 2 million downloads in over 180 countries.
February 28 – The North American Soccer League (NASL) has cancelled its 2018 season with three of its six clubs shifting to the National Premier Soccer League which kicks off this April.