Man City expand Asian partners with Cambodia’s Khmer Beverages
October 30 – Premier League Manchester City have added Khmer Beverages’ Cambodia Beer as its Official Beer Partner in South East Asia in a multi-year deal.
News
England cap a year of youth triumphs with U-17 World Cup win over Spain
By Samindra Kunti in Kolkata
October 29 – England’s wonder kids completed a miraculous 5-2 comeback against Spain to lift the U-17 World Cup. Philip Foden, the player of the tournament, and Rhian Brewster, the golden boot, starred in a remarkable second-half comeback, the culmination of a successful first World Cup on Indian soil.
Game, set and match Israel. FIFA leaves Palestine out in the cold
By Andrew Warshaw
October 27 – After years of delays and buck-passing, FIFA has officially closed down its much-troubled Middle East mediation initiative, a highly provocative move that could enflame tension in the region and seems bound to infuriate the pro-Palestinian lobby like never before.
England to host 2018 World Cup, sort of…
By David Owen
October 27 – England wanted to stage a football World Cup in 2018 – and now it is to get its wish.
Sexwale urged to stand down over ‘whitewash’ of FIFA’s Israel Palestine monitoring body
October 27 – South African activists have urged their compatriot Tokyo Sexwale (pictured centre) to step down as FIFA’s chief Middle East negotiator because of the body’s distinct lack of progress in settling the footballing impasse between Israel and the Palestinians in the occupied territories, specifically the ongoing dispute over Israeli lower-league clubs playing official games on settlements in the West Bank.
Arsenal’s big guns blow away their opposition at stormy AGM
By Paul Nicholson
October 27 – Arsenal’s annual general meeting – an almost pointless gathering of shareholders as the two largest (Stan Kroenke and Alisher Usmanov) control 97% of the shares – was a stormy reflection of the relationship between the club and its London-based support.
German and Colombian leagues get hooked-up with co-operation agreement
October 27 – The Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL) has signed a co-operation agreement with the Colombian División Mayor del Fútbol Colombiano (DIMAYOR) that will see the two leagues develop joint sports, marketing and management initiatives.
England storm past Brazil to set up all-European U17 World Cup final with Spain
By Samindra Kunti in Kolkata
October 26 – England made history by reaching their first ever U-17 World Cup final as Rhian Brewster broke Brazilian hearts with a hat-trick in a commanding 3-1 semi-final victory. The Young Lions will face European champions Spain, who eliminated Mali with the same scoreline.
Video Ref decision delay as IFAB runs into December meeting date conflicts
By Andrew Warshaw
October 26 – Football’s lawmakers look set to postpone their annual business meeting in Abu Dhabi where the main focus of attention was to have been video technology.
Sierra Leone’s Johansen steps down from FA while corruption investigation on-going
October 26 – Embattled Sierra Leone FA president Isha Johansen has been set aside by her own executive committee while she is investigated by the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). The ruling also extends to the body’s secretary general Christopher Kamara.
Qatari labour reforms of wages and ‘kafala’ win support of hard-hitting ITUC
October 26 – Under the global spotlight over its treatment of foreign workers, Qatari authorities have agreed a range of labour reforms including the introduction of a minimum wage and the abolition of the controversial kafala system under which foreign workers must get their employer’s consent to change jobs or leave the country.
beIN Sport boss Al-Khelaifi meets Swiss prosecutors over World Cup rights buy
October 26 – After being grilled for some eight hours by Swiss prosecutors, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, the under-fire Qatari boss of beIN Sport Media who is at the centre of corruption allegations over World Cup TV rights, said he had nothing to hide and would willingly testify again.
Spurs set new Premier League attendance record as West Ham pack London Stadium
October 26 – Spurs broke the 10-year-old Premier League attendance record in Round 9 of fixtures last week with 80,827 fans at Wembley for their 4-1 win over Liverpool.
AC Milan divorce Adidas after 20 years, Puma poised to take over kit deal
October 26 – After almost 20 years AC Milan have agreed with Adidas to end their technical sponsorship deal early at the end of the 2017/18 season.
Palestinian pressure group keeps spotlight on FIFA over Israeli issues
By Andrew Warshaw
October 25 – A pro-Palestinian campaign group has re-ignited Middle East tensions by writing to FIFA ahead of this week’s Council session protesting at Israel’s alleged continuing obstructive conduct in the region.