February 27 – FIFA have decided to take no action in a dispute between Paris St Germain’s Brazilian star Neymar and his previous club Barcelona over an alleged unpaid €26 million loyalty bonus.
February 27 – After 14 years at Manchester United, Phil Townsend is joining UEFA as its new managing director of communications in succession to Pedro Pinto.
By Paul Nicholson
February 26 – The first weekend of football in Spain’s leagues after the dramatic arrests of 32 suspected matchfixers last week has seen a welcome return to normality in the Spanish football betting markets. LaLiga head of integrity Alfredo Lorenzo, said that the “from the intelligence we have on Segunda B and the Third Division, it is completely flat.”
By Andrew Warshaw
February 26 – Video assistant referees (VAR) will not be used in European competition next season even if they are approved for this summer’s World Cup, according to UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 26 – Despite a measured and convincing plea to the whole of Europe to “put football first”, Jersey’s application to become the 56th member of UEFA was crushed at the organisation’s annual congress today when not a single federation supported its bid for inclusion.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 26 – The increasingly hostile Saudi-led diplomatic spat with Qatar, which recently spilled over into football, has taken an unsavoury new twist with the Saudis apparently briefing some German media that the Gulf state could be stripped of hosting the 2022 World Cup.
February 26 – In picking up his first trophy as manager of Manchester City, Pep Guardiola was conspicuous for defiantly continuing to wear a yellow ribbon in support of imprisoned Catalan politicians despite being previously charged by English football authorities for what is regarded as a rule-breaking political statement.
By Paul Nicholson
February 26 – The already precarious future of the North American Soccer League (NASL) now looks even more uncertain after the US Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit denied the NASL’s appeal to obtain a preliminary injunction that would have reinstated its status as a Division 2 league for the 2018 season.
February 26 – Former French international midfielder Samir Nasri is set to be banned by UEFA for six months because of an intravenous drip treatment he took at a Los Angeles clinic in 2016 whilst on holiday according to his lawyers.
February 26 – Beer brand Carlsberg, a partner of the English FA for the past 22 years, will not renew its sponsorship after the end of the Russia 2018 World Cup.
February 28 – More than 200 betting industry experts will be sharing their knowledge and opinions on a wide range of subjects in and around football and betting at next month’s Betting on Football.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 23 – With the Moroccan government having already stated its support for the country to stage the 2026 World Cup, US president Donald Trump is being urged to issue the same guarantees, with bid books due to be handed over to FIFA in mid-March.
By Mark Baber
February 23 – The South American Football Federation (CONMEBOL) is set to tender television and commercial rights of the 2019 Copa América tournament which has been expanded by six teams to include invited nations from CONCACAF and UEFA.
By Samindra Kunti
February 23 – League reform was high on the agenda at a meeting of Belgian’s Pro League following plenty of discontent over the play-offs system, which was introduced in the 2009/10 season. A 14-team league in the current format with play-offs has been mooted as viable future alternative.
February 23 – Manchester United may dominate rival clubs (excluding Barcelona and Real Madrid) on the social media platforms they are on, but they are generally not innovators in the digital arena. They didn’t even have an official YouTube channel – until yesterday.