Greek god: Yaya Touré makes triumphant return to Olympiacos
September 5 – Yaya Touré is a football ‘legend’ but for the fans of Olympiacos he is now elevated to the ranks of the Immortals.
Beckham names MLS franchise Inter Miami and unveils club logo
September 5 – David Beckham is to call his MLS franchise Club Internacional de Futbol Miami – Inter Miami CF – and has unveiled the club’s logo.
LaLiga pushes on with U$ game plan; Girona offered €4m to play Barca, say reports
September 5 – Spain’s La Liga is pushing ahead with its plans to take a regular season match to the US with media reports saying the first overseas game will be an all-Catalonian affair between giants FC Barcelona and Girona at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on January 27 next year.
LaLiga challenges Premier League, as transfer spend rockets in Spain but drops across big-5
August 5 – Total transfer spend in Europe’s big-5 leagues in 2018 dropped by 2.4% to €5.82 billion, with English Premier League clubs accounting for 36.5% of the spend.
Ahmad again questions Cameroon’s credentials for 2019 AFCON hosting
September 5 – CAF president Ahmad Ahmad (pictured) has once more casts doubts over Cameroon’s hosting of the 2019 African Cup of Nations, suggesting again that the tournament may still be moved.
Spanish telecom giant Telefonica drops Barca, Real and RFEF to focus on broadcast
August 5 – Spanish telecommunications company Telefonica will not be renewing its sponsorship deals with premium Spanish football brands Barcelona, Real Madrid or the national team.
AFC Asian Cup 2019 adds Emirates Holidays as official tour operator
September 5 – Emirates Holidays has become the official tour operator of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, to be played in the United Arab Emirates between January 5 and February 1, 2019.
US and Mexico grouped in regional title battle and 2019 Women’s World Cup qualifiers
September 5 – The US will face Mexico in the group stages of the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship to be played 4-17 October and which will qualify teams for the 2019 World Cup in France next summer.
Top coaches urge UEFA to rethink away goals rule, and transfer window alignment
September 5 – Europe’s elite club coaches have called on UEFA to review the use of the away-goals rule in continental competitions since scoring away from home is not as tough as it used to be. They also want the transfer window to close at the same time in all the region’s major leagues.
Seifert says Bundesliga will not follow Spanish and play league games overseas
September 5 – German football will never follow the Spanish idea of playing a top-flight match overseas, says Bundesliga chief executive Christian Seifert (pictured).
Image rights dispute leaves Denmark scrambling for players to fulfil Nations League opener
By Andrew Warshaw
Denmark look set to go into an upcoming friendly with Slovakia and their Nations League fixture with Wales with a hugely weakened team as a result of a damaging ongoing row between players and the Danish Football Association (DBU).
Modric aims for double of UEFA and FIFA player of the year awards; Ronaldo to be 2nd again?
By Andrew Warshaw
September 4 – Having recently been named UEFA’s player of the year, prompting some adverse comments by Cristiano Ronaldo’s entourage, Luka Modric has been backed to end the long dominance of Ronaldo and Lionel Messi when it comes to the equivalent FIFA prize that will be announced later this month at a star-studded ceremony in London.
Brazilian striking legend Ronaldo scores a €30m stake in LaLiga’s Valladolid
September 4 – Former Brazilian striker Ronaldo has bought a 51% stake in in LaLiga side Real Valladolid for €30 million.
Thailand to host 2020 U23 AFC Championship with three slots for Tokyo Olympics
September 4 – Thailand will host the next Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Championship 2020 which will also act as a qualification for the Olympic games to be held in Tokyo that year.
FIFA’s bell tolls for UEFA legal chiefs to join Infantino’s new world order
September 4 – Within just a couple of weeks of losing their long-standing legal brain Marco Villiger, FIFA have swooped to secure the services of Alasdair Bell, the equally astute legal director at UEFA according to reports.