Real Madrid dial in Telefónica for a 2-year €15m deal
March 30 – Spanish telecom giant Telefónica is partnering with Real Madrid as both brands seek to maximise their leading positions at home and abroad.
Cash floods in at Tottenham, as club prepares for White Hart Lane departure
By David Owen
March 30 – Tottenham Hotspur, the North London club leading the pursuit of Chelsea at the top of the Premier League, have given details of another highly satisfactory financial performance.
EPFL data deal hooks up leagues with leading betting data providers
March 30 – The Association of European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL) has brokered a deal between eight of its leagues and three commercial partners – Perform Group, Sportradar and Genius Sports – to collect and supply official data to the betting industry.
Football lawmakers fast forwarding to more video ref decisions
March 30 – Video assistant referees could change the face of football in as many as 25 areas of the game, according to the technical director of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) the game’s law-making body.
Tapia takes Argentina FA top job: first issues are Messi and Russia 2018 qualification
March 30 – After a leaderless period of turmoil, Argentine football now has a new president after Claudio Tapia was elected unopposed and made reducing Lionel Messi’s four-match ban his first priority.
Vauxhall to park its lead sponsorships of British nations after Russia 2018 finals
March 29 – Vauxhall is to end its sponsorship deals with the four British nations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland at the end of the 2018 World Cup, when its current agreements expire.
Ahmad puts his backing behind Morocco to lead joint 2026 World Cup bid
By Andrew Warshaw
March 29 – The new head of African football has thrown his weight behind a possible bid by Morocco to stage the 2026 World Cup, potentially a significant irritant to north America which is regarded by many as a shoo-in to host the event.
Swiss MPs call on FIFA to follow its own laws and ban Israeli clubs in Palestine
March 29 – A group of Swiss parliamentarians has written to FIFA urging it to resolve football’s Middle East impasse by banning the six Israeli clubs playing in the occupied territories.
Video ref steps in twice to change goal decisions in Spain’s 2-0 win over France
March 29 – Video technology, which FIFA hopes will be used at next year’s World Cup, was used to correct two wrong decisions as Spain beat France 2-0 in a friendly in Paris.
Brazil become first nation to book place for Russia 2018
March 29 – Brazil have become the first team to qualify for next year’s World Cup after the five-times champions beat Paraguay 3-0 for their eighth successive win in the South American qualifying competition.
Everton get rising tide of support for new stadium, but could it be a wash-out?
March 29 – Everton fans would be forgiven for getting that sinking feeling over their long-awaited move away from Goodison Park.
Arsenal deepen reach into China with BNN, enhanced content and coaches programme
March 29 – Premier League Arsenal is expanding its partnership with Chinese firm BNN Technology to support a grassroots public participation programme in the country.
Foul-mouthed Messi gets 4-match ban as Argentina fall in Bolivia
March 29 – Argentina are having to cope without Lionel Messi as they try to forge a path towards next year’s World Cup.
Rummenigge takes Super League talk off the agenda saying UEFA plan works for all
By Andrew Warshaw
March 28 – The head of the body representing the majority of Europe’s leading clubs has radically changed his views about the idea of a breakaway super league now that UEFA has agreed to revamp the Champions League in favour of the biggest and wealthiest teams.
Tweets down but followers up as Chelsea overtake Arsenal in return to second spot
March 28 – In a week of international fixtures that has seen growth in the number of tweets made by Premier League clubs down by more than 50% on the previous week, growth in followers has increased by 11.5%.