December 12 – The road to Major League Soccer (MLS) once primarily ran through the collegiate system in the form of a draft. Now clubs have deeper pockets, and look towards different pastures, however, the MLS College Showcase can still turn up a nugget or two.
December 12 – Italian giants, AC Milan, would like to see themselves as the ‘Tiffany’ club in Italian and world football, and they may well have succeeded in a new partnership with luxury jeweller Tiffany & Co.
December 11 – The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has banned referee Matías Beares following his involvement in match-fixing.
December 11 – UEFA is to set up a dedicated human rights advisory board for next year’s final tournament in Switzerland. The announcement was timed to mark international Human Rights Day, observed annually on 10 December.
December 11 – The Udine city council has approved a comprehensive redevelopment plan for Stadio Friuli, home to Serie A club Udinese.
December 11 – German goalkeeping legend Manuel Neuer has been ruled out for the rest of the year after suffering a broken rib.
December 10 – In 1996 the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) and Nike teamed up for a partnership worth a reported $35 million per year. On Friday a new deal was announced, and times have changed!
December 10 – FIFA may still rate Lionel Messi as one of the best players in the world on current form but his peers clearly do not.
December 10 – Premier League referee David Coote has been sacked after his position was deemed “untenable” by English football’s referees body following an investigation into his conduct which found his actions to be in serious breach of his contract.
December 9 – The United Soccer League (USL) continues to provide healthy competition to Major League Soccer despite its second tier status, and that crosses over into the youth game.
December 10 – Concacaf will hold the draw for Round One of its premier club competition, the Champions Cup, in Miami today. The final 27 teams have been pre-seeded based on the Concacaf club rankings.
December 10 – UEFA’s Playmakers programme made its way to Montenegro for a unique football festival last week, as the institution looked to inspire the next generation of football lovers with a female-focussed event.
December 10 – Argentinian giants River Plate have announced the introduction of facial recognition technology at their iconic Estadio Mâs Monumental, enabling fans to ‘enjoy quick, secure, and ticketless access’.
December 9 – Completing a league-and-Libertadores double on Sunday, Brazilian club Botafogo clinched their first national title since 1995 with a 2-1 victory against Sao Paulo.
December 9 – For the first time since 2014, the most successful club in the history of Major League Soccer (MLS) can call themselves, champions! The now, six-time winner of MLS Cup defeated fellow league founders, the New York Red Bulls 2-1 at a boisterous Dignity Health Sports Park, in Los Angeles, the home of the Galaxy.