Barca draft in Deco as sporting director
August 17 – Former Barcelona favourite Deco is returning to the club as their new sporting director.
Gold Cup 2025
El Salvador self destruct in Houston as Canada Marsch on
Canada 2-0 El Salvador
June 24 – Fresh from emerging from a Concacaf-imposed timeout, Canadian head coach Jesse Marsch returned to the technical area at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, knowing any more misbehaviour would send him back to the naughty room. He needn’t have worried as their opponents El Salvador simply imploded in a red mist.
Starlizard data finds betting-related match-fixing is not slowing down
August 17 – Sports betting integrity specialist Starlizard Integrity Services (SIS) has identified 79 ‘suspicious’ football matches played globally between 1 January and 30 June 2023, indicating the likelihood of betting related match-fixing.
WWC2023: Kerr calls for more funding for women’s game in Aussie
August 17 – In the wake of Australia’s elimination from the Women’s World Cup, Matildas star Sam Kerr (pictured) has called for more investment in Australian women’s football.
Inter Milan expand Academy project in US
August 17 – Italian league giants Inter Milan have further developed their academy network into the US, opening the Virginia-based Inter Academy Strikers in Richmond.
WWC2023: England draw on experience of winning finals as focus turns to Spain
By Samindra Kunti in Sydney
August 17 – England have backed themselves to win a maiden World Cup against Spain on Sunday after defeating co-hosts Australia 3-1 in the last four with a clinical performance.
Wolves secures record deal with online bookie 6686 for sleeve sponsorship
August 17 – Asian facing online bookmaker 6686 Sport has become Wolverhampton Wanderers’ new sleeve partner for the 2023/24 season.
WWC2023: England end Australian dreams and set up Spain final
By Samindra Kunti in Sydney
August 16 – On a historic night, a clinical England weathered the Matildas and Sam Kerr with a controlled and deserved 3-1 victory to progress to the Women’s World Cup final for the first time.
Deals not done: Liverpool scramble to shore up midfield as Salah looks to Saudi
August 16 – Southampton’s in-demand Belgian midfielder Romeo Lavia is on the brink of a £58 million move to Chelsea after rejecting Liverpool’s advances last weekend. The 19-year-old was reportedly offended by his treatment from Liverpool after their pursuit of Moises Caicedo became the priority, despite weeks of negotiation with the young Belgian.
Chelsea keep cash flowing with another £92m earmarked for Lavia and Olise
August 16 – Not content with having just smashed the British transfer record by buying Moises Caicedo from Brighton for an eye-watering (some might say obscene) £115 million to take their spending under the new American owners to almost £1 billion, Chelsea are poised to add two more names to their star-studded squad.
Neymar makes €90m move to Saudi Pro League official
August 16 – Neymar has officially become the latest superstar player to follow the financial gravy train to the Saudi Pro League after completing a move to Al Hilal for a reported €90 million after six topsy-turvy seasons at Paris Saint-Germain.
Brentford owner Benham sells stake in FC Midtjylland
August 16 – After a decade of involvement, Brentford owner Matthew Benham is stepping away from FC Midtjylland in Denmark, selling his majority stake to Danish businessman Anders Holch Povlsen. Benham’s Smartodds however will keep supplying the club with data.
DAZN expands its women’s football team with Ata acquisition
August 16 – DAZN Group have completed the acquisition of women’s football online platform Ata, which will see DAZN further consolidate its women’s football offering, expanding its comprehensive rights collection, which includes rights to the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) and both national and international rights to Germany’s Frauen Bundesliga.
AFC completes 5th edition of management learning certificate
August 16 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has completed its fifth edition of the Football Management Certificate (FMC) programme, helping to equip its 41 graduates with the skills required to impact the game across all levels as future leaders.
NWSL’s Chicago Red Stars set to sell to investor group led by Chicago Cubs owner
August 16 – The USA may have been knocked off their perch as the best women’s national team in the world. but there is still a growing appetite for investors to get involved in the domestic women’s league game.
Pokatok Sports World’s Fair launched with debut event in Houston, April 2024
August 16 – World Cup 2026 host venue Houston will be the venue for a newly launched global sports festival aimed at the sports business to be held 4-7 April 2024.