February 10 – Man City looks like they may have found their saviour on the pitch in Gabriel Jesus whose arrival in Manchester has sparked a reinvigoration of Pep Guardiola’s missionary zeal. And their disciples are flocking to worship with yet another massive leap in followers with 104,900 new Facebook likes this week.
February 10 – MLS side New York City FC (NYFC) and USL club San Antonio FC have announced a partnership from the 2017 season that will make each club the other’s affiliate. The partnership will cover both playing and commercial departments.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 9 – The thorny issue of how FIFA plans to regionally distribute slots when the World Cup finals are expanded to 48 teams in 2026 took another twist today when UEFA demanded that European teams be kept apart early on.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 9 – True to his word in the wake of his stunning election victory last September, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has announced sweeping changes to the organisation’s governance structure, highlighted by term limits and a ban on anyone outside senior national association positions from joining UEFA’s inner sanctum.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 9 – The head of the umbrella body representing Europe’s clubs has issued another stern rebuke against FIFA president Gianni Infantino, this time over the proposed expansion of the Club World Cup.
February 9 – PepsiCo is activating its Champions League sponsorship with a series of videos and ads promoting its Pepsi Max brand celebrating the dedication of football fans.
February 9 – Afghanistan may not be able to host international matches but the process of football development knows no boundaries and Afghan football administrators for the first time took part in their own series of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) workshops this week in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe.
By Paul Nicholson
February 7 – The various charges against Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis – some legally and others through the media – are rapidly dropping away one by one. The latest charge to be reversed was by the Greek Administrative Court of Appeal in support of the positions of Olympiacos and Marinakis.
February 8 – Qatar’s World Cup organisers are splashing out a staggering $500 million every week on major infrastructure projects, the country’s finance minister has admitted.
February 8 – The families of seven journalists killed in the Chapecoense air disaster are suing the club over the chartering arrangements.
February 8 – In what looks likely to be the first deal of its kind for one of Europe’s big clubs, Real Madrid is poised to sell its internet image rights for 10 years to US investment Providence Equity Partners for €500 million.
February 8 – Howard Webb, one of the world’s most recognisable and respected referees who has recently been working as a television pundit, has been hired by the body overseeing officiating in MLS to manage the introduction of video assistant referees (VARs).
By Paul Nicholson
February 7 – Russia has increased its government spending on the 2018 World Cup by 19.1 billion rubles ($325 million) according to documents published on a government website. Total spend on the World Cup is now going to hit $10.8 billion.
By Paul Nicholson
February 7 – The rehabilitation of Uli Hoeness now looks complete. Having been re-elected as president of Bayern Munich last November, he has now reassumed the position of chairman of the Supervisory Board. In separate news the club are said to be close to launching a new TV channel with main sponsor Deutsche Telekom.
February 7 – Real Madrid are reportedly stepping up their interest in a European Super league after being left high and dry by the late postponement of a recent league game.