By Andrew Warshaw
February 3 – The role and reputation of Sportradar in detecting global match-fixing and irregular betting patterns has received a major boost after FIFA decided to hire the specialist firm in place of its own detection division.
February 3 – In a significant break with the past regime of Michel Platini and as promised by his successor Aleksander Ceferin, UEFA have introduced an open tender process for cities keen to stage its major club finals and have named those interested in hosting in 2019, with formal bidding now under way.
February 3 – China may be attempting to put the brakes on the spending of huge fees for foreign players, but there is no slow down in their domestic focus on specialist football programmes to train a generation that can compete on the world stage.
February 3 – Premier League action returned mid-week after a weekend of FA Cup action, and so did the fans to Burnley and Middlesbrough, though neither sold out their stadiums.
February 3 – AFC Champions League holders Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors have not been cleared to defend their title. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has rejected the club’s request for ‘provisional measures’ to allow the club back into the 2017 competition following it January 18 sanction for historic match-fixing.
February 3 – In the latest power play for control of African football, an unsavoury war of words has broken out between two federations presidents over alleged meddling by FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
By Samindra Kunti
February 3 – For the third time in history Egypt and Cameroon will meet in the final of the African Cup of Nations. In the semi-finals the two traditional powerhouses of the African game defeated Burkina Faso and Ghana respectively.
By Samindra Kunti
February 3 – This weekend Lanus and River Plate will play in the Argentine Super Cup, but the start of the domestic season has been overshadowed by financial turmoil in the country that is ranked number one in the world by FIFA.
February 3 – Media group A+E Networks has bought a stake in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in the US which will see its women’s entertainment brand Lifetime become a sponsor of the league in a three-year deal beginning in April. A+E will will also launch a joint venture company – NWSL Media – to market commercial rights.
February 3 – The Australian FA has agreed to hold an Extraordinary General Meeting to meet a March 31 deadline to reform itself and become more democratic following talks with FIFA officials in Zurich this week.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 2 – The names have been revealed, now the campaigning begins. The Asian Football Confederation has announced that eight candidates have put their names forward for the Continent’s four available places available on the FIFA Council, at least one of which must be filled by a woman.
February 2 – Raising money on public stock markets with a float of club shares was a popular financial tool for clubs up until the early 2000s when it went out of fashion. But how far does their on-pitch performance relate to the stock price?
By David Owen
February 1 – The magic of amortisation means that top football clubs have long been used to their transfer dealings mitigating bottom-line losses or, especially in more recent times, augmenting profits. But to register a gain in cash terms, without spreading the cost of new signings over the length of their contracts, is much more unusual.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 2 – With his country under global scrutiny because of the ongoing doping scandal, Alexei Sorokin, the public face of the 2018 World Cup, has come out fighting and taken a swipe at Russia’s mounting number of critics.
February 2 – “You don’t win anything with kids,” is a famous comment by former Scotland and Liverpool player Alan Hansen. But Premier League clubs aren’t even trying to according to data examining the number of debutants in the professional game in the current season in Europe’s Big 5 leagues.