By David Owen
February 28 – Aston Villa have disclosed a heavy operating loss of more than £80 million for the year to 31 May 2016, which saw them relegated from the Premier League.
February 28 – There’s nothing like a barrage of criticism to fire up an under-performing team. No sooner had Claudio Ranieri been sacked as manager of Premier League champions Leicester City than his former players – many of whom had been accused of letting down the Italian – bounced back in style on Monday on an emotional night.
February 28 – After a busy week that saw Manchester United qualify for the last 16 of the Europa League and then lift the EFL Cup at Wembley on Sunday, the club not surprisingly topped (yet again) the growth in new followers table. The club also topped the tweets table.
By David Owen
February 27 – Doubts are emerging as to whether Ahmad Ahmad, the challenger in next month’s crunch Confederation of African Football (CAF) Presidential election, will secure blanket support from members of the Council of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA).
By Andrew Warshaw
February 27 – Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Some might suggest that in Gianni Infantino’s case they have actually got worse.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 27 – The race for the presidency of African football is turning ugly with Nigerian football federation boss Amaju Pinnick criticised by one of his own people for revealing he will vote for the sole challenger to Issa Hayatou next month.
February 27 – The French FA president Noel Le Graet has opened the door for Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema’s return to the French national team.
February 27 – The long-running on-off saga of Roma’s new stadium plans looks to have been resolved with the club and the Rome local authorities announcing they have come to a deal on the new Stadio della Roma late on Friday. To celebrate Roma beat in-form Inter Milan 3-1 in Milan to retain second spot in Serie A.
February 27 – Chinese technology conglomerate LeEco looks to be losing its appetite for sports with its broadcast division LeSports scrambling to hold on to prime broadcast rights.
February 27 – Roma’s Francesco Totti, at 24 years and still striking, is the longest serving player in Europe’s big-5 leagues at one club. He is followed by John Terry at 18.5 years and in joint third Juventus keeper Gianluigi Buffon and Caen defensive midfielder Nicolas Seube on 15.5 years.
By David Owen
February 27 – Britain’s vote to leave the European Union (EU) had a significant impact on the Football Association’s 2016 results.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 24 – It was described as the greatest ever miracle in team sport, a triumph that defied all logic at odds of 5000 to 1. But nine months after guiding Leicester City to the most unlikely of English Premier League titles, Claudio Ranieri has been shown the door by the club’s Thai owners in what must rank as one of football’s most disgraceful sackings even by today’s standards of harsh business decisions.
February 24 – Zimbabwe FA president Philip Chiyangwa (pictured), head of the COSAFA region of 14 states, is rapidly emerging as the kingmaker in next month’s ballot for Confederation of African Football president.
By Matt Scott
February 24 – Kuwait’s opportunity for rapprochement with the global football community could be more limited than it seemed at first sight if the man who replaces the controversial former sports minister turns out not to be committed to reform – and the signs are not good.
By Paul Nicholson
February 24 – Spanish giants Barcelona have teamed up with Mission Hills, the world’s largest golf and leisure resort in Haikou, China, to launch the club’s first overseas FCB football academy directly managed by the club.