Arsenal earn their big money stripes with new £300m kit deal with Adidas
October 9 – Arsenal have confirmed they are switching from Puma to Adidas for their kit deal from the 2019/20 season in a five-year ageement.
Not so sweet 16. ISL fetes ‘youngest ever’ Mukhi, but doubts raised over birth date
October 9 – Jamshedpur FC’s teenager Gourav Mukhi scored a goal within minutes of coming off the bench this weekend against Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League, but the 16-year-old sensation’s age has been questioned as the ugly spectre of age cheating rears its head again in Indian football.
FIFA and EA expand 2019 eWorld Cup qualifying and add a new eNations Cup
October 9 – The football esports calendar is becoming as crowded as the match schedules for clubs and players. FIFA and EA Sports, hard on the heels of the success of the 2018 eWorld Cup, have announced the schedule for 2019 FIFA 19 Global Series.
High stakes: UK Betting firms fearing backlash over football ads plot pre-emptive strike
By Paul Nicholson
October 8 – Growing fears within the UK betting business of a hardline approach to regulating how bookmakers market themselves has prompted one leading bookmaker to put in a pre-emptive strike and call for an industry-imposed ban on TV ads before the 9pm watershed.
Blatter talks of sell-outs, sell-offs, back stabbing and a need for government regulation
By Samindra Kunti
October 8 – Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has launched another stinging attack on his successor Gianni Infantino, accusing the latter of “selling out the people’s game,” alluding to Infantino’s expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams and his mysterious $25 billion investment plan.
Serial FFP offender Galatasaray back under scrutiny of UEFA financial investigators
October 8 – Turkish giants Galatasaray AŞ who seemingly have spent as much time fighting UEFA over financial fair play breakeven regulations as they have competing in European club competitions, are back in hot water with UEFA’s the Club Financial Control Body (CFCB).
Real Madrid and Barca head PL and Man Utd in sponsorship ranking; NBA tops table
October 8 – Premier League clubs make up six of the top 20 most commercially valuable sports rights-holders worldwide, but are behind Real Madrid and Barcelona globally, according to the newly launched POWA Index, a real-time sponsorship evaluation engine.
Turki Al-Sheikh’s Pyramids-building in Egypt crumbles as the Saudi pulls his cash
October 8 – Saudi Arabia has aggressively been building a portfolio and presence in football, but in Egypt the kingdom’s efforts to exert influence have backfired as the meddling of Saudi sports minister Turki Al-Sheikh hasn’t been received well by local administrators and fans.
Facebook builds footprint in South America with 4-year Copa Libertadores buy
October 8 – Facebook has expanded its live football output picking up rights to South America’s Copa Libertadores matches in a four-year package from 2019-2022 for its Watch platform.
Japan wins hat-trick of AFC U-16 titles to lead region into Peru for 2019 U17 World Cup
October 10 – Japan claimed the 2018 AFC U-16 Championship title on Sunday thanks to a narrow 1-0 win over Tajikistan in Malaysia.
FIFA suspends Sierra Leone until government reinstates corruption-haunted Johansen to SLFA
By Paul Nicholson
October 8 – FIFA has carried out its threat and suspended the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) with immediate effect. FIFA, which has long been battling for the preservation of the incumbent administration in Sierra Leone led by president Isha Johansen, took its action despite on-going criminal investigations into the leadership.
Storm clouds deepen as Ronaldo sponsors ‘monitor’ situation and Portugal rest him
By Samindra Kunti
October 5 – US sportswear behemoth Nike and gaming giant EA Sports have expressed their concern over the rape allegations against Cristiano Ronaldo, but his club Juventus have come out in defense of the superstar. On Thursday, the Portugal captain was dropped from the Portugal roster for the October fixtures with Poland and Scotland.
Premier League presses button on 20-team esports tournament for January start
By Paul Nicholson
October 5 – The English Premier League are entering the esports business with the launch of ePremier League with league partner Electronic Arts. The ePL will be played on the FIFA19 game and operated by esports tournament organisers Gfinity.
Cherries stadium plans on hold, but owner shows no plans to retreat ‘Back in the USSR’
By David Owen
October 5 – AFC Bournemouth, the Russian-controlled south coast minnows who have become an established and increasingly accomplished Premier League force under Eddie Howe, their bright young manager, have put plans for a new stadium on hold.
Celta Vigo announce €12m profit, new stadium update and a global opportunity
October 5 – While Barcelona were busy confirming they had broken the $1 billion revenue barrier and had profit of €124 million, LaLiga rivals Celta Vigo showed the huge scale of financial difference between clubs in the Spanish top tier, announcing they achieved a €12 million profit last season, and a budget of €72 million for the current season.