Concacaf boosts refereeing accountability with new Red card appeals process
February 14 – Concacaf has moved swiftly following its promise to overhaul its referees’ procedures and upgrade the level of its elite match official structure.
World Football
Poyet tasked with rebuilding Greek national team after Qatar 2022 qualification failure
February 14 – Gus Poyet has become the new manager of Greece’s national team after the country’s failure to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar.
Inside job: Brazilian police arrest bank robber who hit Neymar’s accounts
February 11 – Brazilian police have arrested a man they believe hacked into Neymar’s bank accounts and repeatedly stole from the account taking up to $40,000.
Al-Khelaifi heralds new dawn of ECA/UEFA relations and the ‘tectonic shift’ of the TEAM deal
By Paul Nicholson
February 10 – European Club Association (ECA) chair Nasser Al-Khelaifi (pictured) has written to the 240+ members saying that the new three-year commercial deal agreed with TEAM Marketing and Relevent Sports Group is a watershed moment for the association.
Kenya women appeal to Infantino to keep Uganda match on and World Cup hopes alive
By Andrew Warshaw
February 10 – Kenya’s women footballers have urged FIFA president Gianni Infantino to personally intervene to allow a crucial World Cup qualifier to go ahead and save their dream of reaching next year’s finals.
Belgian clubs report combined €139m loss
February 10 – Belgium’s 26 professional clubs registered total record losses of €139 million last year (2020-21 season), the bulk of it a result of the coronavirus crisis.
Italy targets Euro 2032 hosting as embarks on stadium modernisation
February 9 – European champions Italy have indicated their interest in staging Euro 2032 and have informed UEFA accordingly.
Jamaican boss Ricketts in firing line after court hammers him for homophobic comments
By Paul Nicholson
February 9 – Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president Michael Ricketts, under pressure over his management of the JFF, has been hit with a J$9 million (US$51,000) fine for defamation after homophobic comments he made in 2017.
UEFA to keep watching brief over Albanian FA elections
February 9 – In an unusual move, UEFA are sending a delegation to Albania to monitor the electoral process of the Albanian FA before clubs vote on a new president next month.
Barca CEO Reverter to quit mid-rebuild
February 9 – FC Barcelona CEO Ferran Reverter has resigned after less than a year in the role “for personal and family reasons”, with the club in the crucial stages of agreeing a major sponsorship deal with streaming service Spotify.
Greeks to crack down on violence after Aris fan murdered
February 9 – Greece is to clamp down on fan violence following the killing of a 19-year-old fan in what was believed to be an attack by rival supporters.
Spotify’s €280m deal would be music to Barca’s ears
February 8 – Financially challenged Barcelona are reportedly on the verge of agreeing a €280 million shirt and training kit deal with streaming service Spotify.
TEAM retains global rights to UEFA’s Champions League but US media goes to Relevent
February 8 – TEAM Marketing has retained the rights to the UEFA men’s Champions League for the rights cycle 2024-27, but has ceded media sales rights to Relevent Sports Group in the US.
British and Irish FAs dump World Cup 2030 bid in favour of a run at hosting Euro 2028
By Paul Nicholson
February 7 – The combined British and Irish bid to host the World Cup in 2030 has been officially shelved with the five FAs instead saying they will focus on a bid to host the Euro 2028 championships.
More African Super League talk as Motsepe says it will be FIFA run and privately funded
By Samindra Kunti
February 7 – On the sidelines of the Africa Cup of Nations, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) convened a meeting with FA presidents, club chairmen and FIFA president Gianni Infantino to discuss plans for the creation of an African Super League, but the governing body again was able to give little detail on the project.