December 8 – Former Swansea City manager Michael Laudrup and the club itself have denied he was sacked – mysteriously at the time – because of concerns that he and, primarily, his agent stood to profit from player transfers.
December 8 – Julio Rocha, one of the original un-magnificent Zurich Seven, who was responsible for overseeing FIFA’s development programme in Central America, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to his role in the US-led global football bribery investigation.
December 8 – UEFA have opened disciplinary proceedings against Celtic following crowd disturbances and fireworks set off by fans in this week’s Champions league meeting with Manchester City.
December 8 – Hannover 96, battling to return to former glory and the Bundesliga’s top tier, has renewed its main sponsorship with house builder Heinz von Heiden Massivhäuser.
December 7 – A Spanish judge is seeking to impose a gagging order on 12 European media outlets known as the European Investigative Collaborations (EIC) from reporting leaked documents alleging the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho could have been involved in a multimillion-euro tax evasion system.
December 7 – West Ham topped the weekly attendance table for their home game against Arsenal, with just 20 seats left unfilled in the London Stadium. Plagued by fan violence at earlier home games, Hammers fans have not been put off supporting, especially for the local derby against Arsenal.
December 7 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which in September cancelled a vote to elect its FIFA Council members, will now hold that ballot on May 8 at its Ordinary Congress in Bahrain – three days before the FIFA Congress itself there.
December 7 – Mexico’s Liga MX is to start an 18-team women’s league in 2017. President Enrique Bonilla (pictured) said the league will begin with a cup competition in the spring before the formal season begins in September.
December 7 – Manuel Burga, former president of the Peruvian Soccer Federation (FPF), has pleaded not guilty to corruption charges in a New York court after being extradited from his homeland.
December 7 – Nike is set to extend its kit deal with England for a further 12 years. The deal with the FA is said to be worth £400 million and is a small increase on the previous deal.
December 7 – Bolivian authorities have detained the chief executive of the airline involved in the fatal crash last week that killed 71 people, including most of the Brazilian football team, Chapecoense.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 6 – Here we go again. Just when the spotlight was on Sepp Blatter’s ultimate failed attempt to clear his name, with precision timing Blatter’s successor Gianni Infantino swept another senior old-era appointment out of office.
December 6 – Chapecoense have officially been awarded the Copa Sudamericana by CONMEBOL after most of their team died in the fatal plane crash en route to the first leg of the Copa Libertadores final in Colombia.
December 6 – FC Barcelona is taking its academy blueprint to China and is backing the build of a facility at the world’s biggest golf resort, Mission Hills, on China’s Hainan Island, near Hong Kong.
December 6 – Weekly Twitter growth again held strong across the Premier League with the top four clubs of Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea all adding impressive numbers and leaving Manchester City a little bit behind, nursing the headaches of lower numbers and loss in the league.