Kroos racks up 5th win as Real Madrid cruise to Club World Cup title in UAE
December 27 – With Real Madrid having claimed a third successive Club World Cup title – and a fourth in the past five years – one Los Blancos star also made history.
The true story of World Cup viewing
By David Owen
If there is one message to FIFA from the TV viewing figures for Russia 2018, it is that, if it wants to attract even bigger audiences, it must hope for, or somehow engineer, greater diversity in its crown jewel’s final stages.
Former FIFA boss Linsi loses appeal to seal docs seized in Germany 2006 probe
December 21 – Former FIFA General Secretary Urs Linsi is back in the spotlight after a Swiss Federal Court ruled against his complaint that a house search by police investigators was conducted illegally and that documents taken should be returned.
World Cup TV figures break records with 1.12bn tuning in for final
December 21 – A record audience of more than 3.5 billion people watched this year’s World Cup in Russia, with the final between France and Croatia attracting 1.12 billion viewers, according to FIFA.
Greek Super League games off as officials strike after attack leaves referee in hospital
December 21 – Greek football, which lurches from one crisis to another, is back in the doldrums with all Super League games scheduled for this weekend suspended after referees went on strike following a “cowardly attack” on one of their colleagues outside his house.
Bad tempered Arsenal and Spurs fined £90k for failing to control players
December 21 – Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have been fined a total of £95,000 for failing to control their players during this month’s hotly contested Premier League derby.
PSG bench ‘disrespectful’ Rabiot and say Barca are breaking the transfer rules
December 21 – A fresh player power dispute is making headlines in France where Paris St Germain are refusing to select midfielder Adrien Rabiot for “disrespecting” the club by refusing to sign a new contract.
5 English in top 10 of fastest growing players by value. Sancho, Mbappé and Sterling lead
December 21 – Jadon Sancho, Kylian Mbappé and Raheem Sterling head al list of players whose market value increased most in the past four months, according to data from KPMG Football Benchmark.
China caps club spending power and limits player salaries
December 21 – The Chinese FA has slapped a comprehensive set of financial controls on its Super League and professional clubs covering money that can be spent owners on their teams, player salaries and even player bonuses for winning competitions.
US investor buys 85% of Dundee United for £1m and sets sights on SPL
December 21 – A US investor has taken a controlling stake in Scottish Championship side Dundee United in a deal estimated to be worth £1 million.
Grindel calls Infantino to account over FIFA’s lack of transparency on $25bn sell-off
By Andrew Warshaw
December 20 – German football boss and FIFA Council member Reinhard Grindel has renewed his attack on the FIFA leadership and Gianni Infantino in person saying Infantino is fuelling international prejudice against his own organisation over his controversial plans to reshape the landscape of world football,
Excitement builds as India are first to land in UAE for 2019 Asian Cup
December 20 – India were the first team to arrive for the 24-nation Asian Cup when they landed today in Abu Dhabi and were greeted with a fervent reception from their supporters thanks to the staggering 3.3 million Indian community who live in the United Arab Emirates.
Bottles, banana skins and racist abuse: English clubs struggle to control fans
December 20 – Despite a pre-match appeal to both sets of supporters following a number of high-profile cases of discrimination in recent weeks, police are investigating an incident that saw Tottenham Hotspur’s England midfielder Dele Alli struck on the head by a plastic bottle during their 2-0 League Cup quarterfinal win against arch-rivals Arsenal on Wednesday.
New Asian Cup trophy proudly lands in Dubai ahead of AFC’s showpiece tournament
December 20 – After travelling nearly 25,000kms across Asia, the new Asian Cup trophy has finally landed in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, one of the four host cities of the region’s pinnacle tournament that starts early next month.
End of the road? Mutko confirms he will not contest Russian FA presidency
December 20 – After weeks of conjecture about whether he is back in favour, Vitaly Mutko, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister, has finally thrown in the towel at the head of the Russian Football Union (RFU).