Spanish police arrest 20 in raids on suspected matchfixers across country
February 20 – The scourge of matchfixing has reared its ugly head in Spain yet again with a spate of arrests relating to alleged rigging in the country’s lower leagues.
Infantino says 2026 bidding rules are clear; warns FIFA is auditing its members
By Andrew Warshaw
February 20 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino insists the world governing body was simply applying the rules when banning Morocco from promoting the country’s 2026 World Cup bid credentials before its own African supporters.
Rodchenkov insists Mutko ordered him to hide any positive drug tests of Russian players
February 20 – The whistleblower whose revelations prompted the Russian doping scandal claims he was personally instructed by the country’s former sports supremo Vitaly Mutko, until recently a senior member of FIFA’s inner circle, to make sure footballers were protected.
Bennell sentenced to 31years in prison for 50 counts of child sexual abuse
February 20 – Former coach Barry Bennell, the serial paedophile whose sickening treatment of aspiring youngsters mainly in the 1980s rocked British football, was sentenced to 31 years in jail on Monday for 50 counts of child sexual abuse.
Monday night blues. German fan fury triggers protests at Eintracht Frankfurt
February 20 – Monday night games may have become relatively commonplace in the English Premier League but in Germany fans don’t take kindly to traditions being constantly eroded.
Warner extradition on the rocks again as judge pushes appeal date back to November
February 20 – Jack Warner, the most wanted man of all among powerbrokers snared by US authorities in the $200 million FIFAGate corruption scandal, has again managed to thwart extradition by having committal proceedings against him put on hold – for another nine months.
Arsenal renew Emirates in club record £200m, 5-year shirt deal
February 20 – Arsenal have extended their shirt sponsorship with Dubai airline Emirates in a five-year deal that is reportedly worth £200 million, a record for the club.
Everton’s Davies is top ranked Premier League player, Fulham’s Sessegnon makes top 10
February 20 – Five players at English clubs, two of them in the Championship, make the top 50 list of European U20 players with the best career prospects, according to a ranking compiled by the CIES Football Observatory.
Wigan get a boost from Jetcoin, a crypto currency living on the edge of TPO
February 20 – Marketing success in sport is often all about being in the right place at the time. That place was on the sleeve of Wigan Athletic on Monday night for cryptocurrency firm Jetcoin as the Latics became only the third team to be Manchester City this year.
Exclusive: FIFA double-standards? Gulati allowed to pitch United 2026 to Cosafa grouping
By Andrew Warshaw
February 19 – The race to land the 2026 World Cup has exploded into fresh controversy with FIFA facing accusations of double standards and underhand tactics despite its efforts, in public at least, to ensure a squeeky clean bidding process ahead of the June vote.
Tackling Matchfixing: Early Bird registration closes today Monday 19 February
February 19 – The Early Bird registration price of £395 for the Tackling Matchfixing conference, March 9/10 at the Chelsea harbour Hotel in Chelsea, London, closes today.
Gazprom fuels UEFA Champions League sponsor roster with new 3-year deal
February 19 – European governing body UEFA have extended another of their Champions League sponsorship deals, this time with Gazprom for the 2018-2021 cycle. The Russian energy firm is the fifth sponsor to renew their deal.
Death threats to UEFA match-fixing investigators prompt Ceferin to issue warning
By Paul Nicholson
February 19 – UEFA Disciplinary Inspectors have received anonymous death threats after re-opening a match-fixing probe into Albanian club KF Skënderbeu.
Red mist. Match abandoned as nine players sent off in Brazilian derby
February 19 – A Brazilian derby between Vitoria and Bahia was abandoned with 11 minutes remaining on Sunday after the hosts had six players sent off in a game marked by a mass brawl.
Bookies back VAR to boost in-play betting with Paddy Power paying out on VAR cancelled goals
February 19 – While Video Assistant Refereeing (VAR) once again slowed games to a suffocating standstill, this time in England’s FA Cup matches, bookmakers have wasted no time taking advantage of the opportunity VAR offers for their promotions.