March 1 – Manchester United has signed a global partnership deal with Malaysian-based e-commerce group Aladdin Group. The online trader will use the club as part of the global launch marketing of its aladdinstreet.com marketplace.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 1 – The regional factions lining up behind the two rival camps in this month’s Confederation of African Football (CAF) presidential election are taking shape with the Council for East and Central Africa Football Association (CECAFA) endorsing Issa Hayatou for an unprecedented eighth term of office.
March 1 – Morocco is reportedly considering a new strategy to challenge north America for the 2026 World Cup, almost certainly the first edition to involve 48 teams.
March 1 – Germany’s Bundesliga has partnered with Chinese internet giant Baidu to become the web company’s first European league to have an official web presence on its platform.
By Paul Nicholson
February 28 – FIFA’s firing of all its development staff across Africa and the closing of offices in four countries was met with a barrage of criticism within the region last December. Now the governing body of world football is facing a series of legal challenges from former employees to whom it has allegedly refused to make severance payments in accordance with national law.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 28 – I’ll see you in court if necessary. That is the defiant message issued to FIFA by former South African Football Association (SAFA) CEO Leslie Sedibe (pictured) who has served world football’s governing body with a claim for $5 million for defamation of character after being banned for five years over the 2010 matchfixing scandal along with three other SAFA officials.
February 28 – UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin says Donald Trump’s immigration policies could potentially work against the United States in their bid to stage the 2026 World Cup.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 28 – Just days before the first UEFA-imposed deadline for national associations to confirm their interest, Nordic federations have ditched plans to bid for the 2024 European Championship – leaving Germany and Turkey to fight it out.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 28 – Jerome Valcke (pictured), former number two to Sepp Blatter who spectacularly fell from grace after spending years as the organisation’s go-to troubleshooter, is taking his 10-year ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
By Samindra Kunti
February 28 – This weekend Rio de Janeiro giants Flamengo and Fluminense will dispute the final of the Taça Guanabara. It is but a footnote in the drawn-out and archaic state championships, which are increasingly holding back Brazilian football.
By David Owen
February 28 – Aston Villa have disclosed a heavy operating loss of more than £80 million for the year to 31 May 2016, which saw them relegated from the Premier League.
February 28 – There’s nothing like a barrage of criticism to fire up an under-performing team. No sooner had Claudio Ranieri been sacked as manager of Premier League champions Leicester City than his former players – many of whom had been accused of letting down the Italian – bounced back in style on Monday on an emotional night.
February 28 – After a busy week that saw Manchester United qualify for the last 16 of the Europa League and then lift the EFL Cup at Wembley on Sunday, the club not surprisingly topped (yet again) the growth in new followers table. The club also topped the tweets table.
By David Owen
February 27 – Doubts are emerging as to whether Ahmad Ahmad, the challenger in next month’s crunch Confederation of African Football (CAF) Presidential election, will secure blanket support from members of the Council of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA).
By Andrew Warshaw
February 27 – Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Some might suggest that in Gianni Infantino’s case they have actually got worse.