Inter Milan team up with Le Sports in China
By David Owen
January 29 – Italy’s Internazionale has agreed a deal for Le Sports, the former LeTV, to become the exclusive broadcast partner for the club’s TV channel in mainland China.
Gold Cup 2025
Guate bang their drum on a night of passion in Los Angeles
Jamaica 0 Guatemala 1
June 16 – It has been 12 years since Guatemala have beaten Jamaica. Six days ago they lost 3-0 to the Jamaicans in World Cup 2026 qualifying. On the opening night of their Gold Cup campaign they turned the form book on its head.
Sexwale says it is time for an African or Asian boss, not another Swiss
By Andrew Warshaw
January 29 – Four of the five candidates for the FIFA presidency are heading to Qatar for weekend meetings, with one of them, South African Tokyo Sexwale, suggesting the horse-trading and unofficial election pacts are in full swing ahead of the February 26 ballot even though all of the contenders are keeping any election deals firmly under wraps.
SciSports raises €1.35m to develop its 3D match analysis solution
January 29 – Start-up Dutch firm SciSports has raised €1.35 million to develop its BallJames three-dimensional pixel technology that is used to enhance football data analysis.
CONMEBOL pledges bloc vote to Europe’s Infantino
By Andrew Warshaw
January 29 – Gianni Infantino appears to have stolen a march on his rival candidates for the FIFA presidency by gaining the support of South American federations who comprise 10 of the 209 voting countries.
Swiss law enforcers claim FIFA whistleblower will blow the criminal cases open
By Andrew Warshaw
January 29 – Swiss prosecutors say they have been given crucial information by a whisteblower in the criminal investigation of suspended FIFA president Sepp Blatter – and into FIFA itself.
Dyke to quit English FA after failure to win unanimous backing for reforms
January 29 – English football’s outspoken chairman Greg Dyke will not seek re-election when his current term ends in June because of a battle over proposed reforms.
Man Utd fuels Indonesian business with new drinks partner
January 28 – Premier League commercial giant Manchester United has announced a new partnerhip in drinks brank YOU.C1000, which becomes the club’s Official Isotonic Drinks Partner in Indonesia.
AFC powers up its war on match-fixing with expanded Sportradar deal
January 28 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has beefed up its agreement with betting fraud prevention and detection specialists Sportradar, singing a two-year deal that will increase the number of games monitored to more than 4,500, a huge increase on the 300 games in the previous deal.
Mutko straightens RFU finances with new sponsors and help of falling rouble
By Mark Baber
January 28 – Vitaly Mutko, the Russian Sports Minister and Russian Football Union (RFU) President, has said a new $2.5-3.8 million sponsorship contract is about to be signed for the cash-strapped RFU, and that the union is now getting its finances in order.
Italian police swoop on agents, players and 35 clubs, seizing €12m
January 28 – Italian police have seized assets from 58 players, agents and club executives worth more than €12 million as part of huge crackdown into alleged systematic tax evasion in the country’s top two divisions.
Champagne gets tough and points finger at UEFA corruption allegations
By Andrew Warshaw
January 28 – With FIFA mired in its worst ever corruption scandal, presidential candidate Jerome Champagne has stirred up the debate by alleging UEFA has been equally guilty of wrongdoing but has got away with it.
Ramires’ Chinese move set to bring big profits boost for Chelsea
By David Owen
January 27 – Roman Abramovic’s Chelsea look set to be the latest beneficiaries of the tide of Chinese money washing into European football. The likely transfer of Brazilian midfielder Ramires to Jiangsu Suning, a Chinese Super League club based in Nanjing, the former capital city, should provide a handy boost to the London side’s profits in 2015-16.
Euro politicos get shirty after FIFA candidates refuse to dance to their tune
By Andrew Warshaw
January 28 – European parliamentarians have accused FIFA’s presidential candidates of scoring a spectacular own goal after four of them declined to take part in Wednesday’s planned televised debate in Brussels which ultimately collapsed.
Confusion steals podium as Brussels ‘forum’ debates its purpose
By Andrew Warshaw
January 27 – In what can only be described as a state of utter confusion, a planned debate on the future of FIFA, which had already descended into farce, was watered down still further today just hours before it was due to take place.
Paraguyan Dominguez takes the hottest seat in football as president of CONMEBOL
By Mark Baber
January 27 – Alejandro Dominguez of Paraguay was elected unopposed as president of CONMEBOL, the governing body of South American football, after Wilmar Valdez of Uruguay withdrew his candidacy.