December 5 – The average lifespan of a Premier League manager is less than 1.5 years. Mark Hughes, who was sacked by Southampton after their draw with Manchester United at the weekend, lasted just 8 months and is Saints’ 23rdmanager in the past 20 years.
December 5 – The still unresolved power battle within Sierra Leone football administration has had a significant damaging on effect on the field with the country thrown out of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign because of government interference in the running of the federation.
By Paul Nicholson
December 5 – FIFA has released details of more than $209 million in payouts to clubs worldwide for use of their players at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 4 – The race to host the 2030 World Cup, still in its early stage, has taken a potentially important twist with UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin saying he would be against a cross-continental bid between, Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
December 4 -A new digital platform has launched curating content from some of the world’s biggest players that focusses on their lives off the pitch.
December 4 – As the search for a solution to the contentious Copa Libertadores second leg rumbles on, River Plate coach Marcelo Gallardo (pictured) has accused Conmebol of “robbing the fans” with its decision to move the twice postponed fixture to Madrid.
December 4 – Fans who want to see the ball in play get the best value of money in Europe’s Big 5 leagues if they watch the Bundesliga where the ball is in play on average 58.5% of the time. Sweden’s Allsvenskan tops the list of European leagues though with the ball in play 60.2% of the time.
December 12 – Christian Seifert (pictured), CEO of the Bundesliga, is the new Chairman of the World Leagues Forum, appointed at the organisation’s annual meeting in Mexico City in succession to Richard Scudamore.
December 4 – Real Madrid’s Croatian captain Luka Modric followed up his FIFA best player award by winning the prestigious Ballon d’Or on Monday, becoming the first player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to claim the award in more than a decade.
December 4 – UEFA has awarded the hosting of the Women’s Euro 2021 to England who were the only bidders for the tournament that was last held in France in 2017.
December 4 – The Chinese Football Association (CFA) has expanded its player development activity outside the country with the set up of a permanent training centre in Santo Domingo, Madrid, for its men’s and women’s teams.
December 4 – As faux pas go, it was right up there with the most awkward. Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris was in full swing and Norway forward Ada Hegerberg had just won the inaugural award for the best player in women’s football when the moment was tarnished by a moment of chauvanistic indiscretion.
By Paul Nicholson
December 3 – FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, addressed the G20 summit of world leaders at the weekend as a self proclaimed “simple citizen of the World” and proceeded to expound the virtues of football’s unifying powers and how great it would be if the Qatar 2022 World Cup could be expanded to more countries in the region, inshallah.
December 3 – England will play the Netherlands and hosts Portugal take on Switzerland in the semi-final of the inaugural Nations League following the draw made today.
