December 20 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has now officially confirmed that its commercial rights sales tender for the two cycles between 2021 and 2028 will be published 1 February 2018.
By Paul Nicholson
December 20 – Slovenian and Croatian polices yesterday swooped on an international match-fixing crime syndicate making 11 arrests after 13 house searches and impounding 15 vehicles in both countries.
December 20 – UAE-based kit supplier Romai has lost deals with Jamaica and Senegal in the space of a week after what has been described as disastrous relationships with the two national federations.
December 20 – Premier League Burnley agreed a one-year sponsorship with online broker TeleTrade, who become the ‘Official Forex Trading Sponsor of Burnley FC’. No figure for the deal value was given.
December 20 – Tottenham Hotspur have signed a deal North East health and wellbeing company Mammoth Mattresses, who will become the Official Mattress and Pillow Supplier of the Premier League Club.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 19 – Disgraced former FIFA and UEFA powerbroker Ángel María Villar has stoked up fears of his native Spain being barred from the World Cup as he tries to cling on to his role as head of his national federation (RFEF).
December 19 – The jury in the FIFA-gate corruption trial of three former South American powerbrokers is set to resume deliberations today with a verdict imminent.
By Mark Baber
December 19 – ‘Tis the season to be merry, for gifts, family and, naturally, Player of the Year awards. Sunday saw the CONCACAF Premios Univision Deportes awards ceremony in Miami whilst the Confederation of African football has announced the nominees for its 2017 awards.
December 18 – Sudan’s leading club has been reprimanded after supporters taunted rival fans by erecting banners displaying an image of Adolf Hitler during a bitter championship decider.
December 19 – Juventus president Andrea Agnelli’s one-year ban for his alleged role in the sale of match tickets to the club’s ultras fans has been lifted but his fine has been increased while the club has also been hit harder than its original sanction.
December 19 – Football Federation Australia says it will continue to experiment with video technology in the A-League despite a series of suspect decisions.
December 19 – Barcelona players are more likely to be key players for their countries than those at Manchester United, Spurs, Bayern Munich or Juventus. A survey of minutes played by national A team players in 2017 saw Barca players rack up 139 matches and 10, 846 minutes.
December 19 – Former World player of the year and Ballon d’Or winner George Weah has had his bid for political power stymied once again after the country’s current Vice President Joseph Boakai called for a postponement of the second round of presidential elections before the Supreme Court.
December 19 – New Zealand is the latest country to face a match-fixing scare in football, again proving that the phenomenon respects no boundaries and is adept at evolving new techniques to prey on players.
December 19 – Sports supplement supplier Healthspan has added Tottenham Hotspur to their roster of Premier League clubs alongside Southampton. The also supply Nottingham Forest in the Championship.