By Samindra Kunti
December 22 – Belgian businessman Marc Coucke is the surprise new owner of Belgian giants Anderlecht. The pharmaceutical entrepreneur has obtained a majority stake in the club for an undisclosed fee.
December 22 – A German-Russian of dual nationality suspected of trying to blow up the Borussia Dortmund team by detonating three bombs appeared in court on Thursday charged with 28 counts of attempted murder.
December 22 – Manchester City has signed a second professional esports player, Marcus ‘ExpectSporting’ Jorgensen, who will play for City in FIFA esports tournaments ]on the PlayStation 4 (PS4) console.
December 22 – Peru captain Paolo Guerrero says he is innocent and will fight to clear his name despite FIFA reducing his doping ban to six months, allowing him to play at next year’s World Cup.
December 21 – The president of the Confederation of African Football (Caf), Ahmad Ahmad, has reiterated his warning to Cameroon about their ability to host the first expanded 24-team Africa Cup of Nations in 2019.
December 21 – The leader of the tripartite US/Canada/Mexico 2026 World Cup bid committee has promised his team will play by the rules when trying to secure victory over rivals Morocco for the first 48-team finals following the corruption-plagued debacle that overshadowed the 2018 and 2022 process.
By Paul Nicholson
December 21 – After months of damning stories and rumours surrounding financial corruption in the Liberian FA and its controversial president Musa Bility, the investigatory chamber of FIFA’s Ethics Committee has stepped in to investigate. Early reports are that their findings are explosive.
December 21 – Head of the Moscow Department of Sport and Tourism Nikolai Gulyaev said on Tuesday that the whole infrastructure of Moscow is almost ready for World Cup 2018.
December 21 – German giants Borussia Dortmund have extended a long-term deal with Lagardère Sports, the sports and entertainment agency subsidiary of media conglomerate Lagardère Group.
December 21 – The Premier League’s broadcast rights auction looks like losing some of its heat after BT and Sky struck a deal to carry each other’s channels.
December 21 – Peru captain Paolo Guerrero has had his one-year suspension for failing a drugs test halved to six months, making him eligible to lead out his team at the World Cup next summer – the nation’s first appearance in the finals for 36 years.
December 21 – Two Kosovo nationals have pleaded guilty to planning attacks at a World Cup game in Albania against Israel last year that was moved to a different part of the country because of terrorist threats.
December 21 – FIFA has appointed a normalisation committee to run the affairs of the troubled Malian Football Association (Femafoot).
By Andrew Warshaw
December 20 – The self-proclaimed Brazilian inventor of football’s vanishing spray, which has become an integral part of the game, is persuing FIFA for proper compensation after accusing the organisation of stealing his idea.
December 20 – FIFA has added a fifth sponsor for the Russia 2018 World Cup, the third from China. Chinese dairy products manufacturer the Mengniu Group will be designated the Official drinkable yoghurt and pre-packaged ice cream.