Belgian lottery renews Lotto Park naming rights with Anderlecht
July 25 – The Belgian national lottery – Nationale Loterij – has renewed its club sponsorship of RSC Anderlecht including the naming rights to the stadium.
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.
Premier League boss not ‘too concerned’ over Saudi clubs’ moves in player market
July 25 – Premier League chief executive Richard Masters (pictured) has responded to Saudi Arabia’s growing influence in the game by saying he “wouldn’t be too concerned at the moment” about the situation.
Soccer Champions Tour loses first match as Barca squad hit by illness
July 25 – The ‘Soccer Champions Tour’, which sees Barcelona, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Manchester United, Juventus and AC Milan play a series of pre-season fixtures from July 22 to August 2 starting on the west coast of the US, got off to a disastrous start with the first match being cancelled.
Albanian FA tenders domestic broadcast rights for next three seasons
July 25 – The Albanian Football Federation (FSHF) has issued a tender for the sale of the TV rights to the First League, Second League, the Super Cup and the Albanian Cup tournament.
Polish bookie STS moves into club market with two new deals
July 25 – Polish bookmaker STS has agreed new sponsorships with Polish clubs Korona Kielce and GKS Katowice.
Mbappe to Saudi? PSG accept €300m bid from Al-Hilal, reports
July 24 – Could the exodus of elite players to Saudi Arabia be about to take its most sensational step yet?
England mourns loss of Trevor Francis, 69, Britain’s first £1m player
July 24 – Former England forward Trevor Francis, who famously became Britain’s first £1 million player when he moved to Nottingham Forest from Birmingham in 1979, has died aged 69 of a heart attack in Spain where he regularly spent half the year.
Spurs ready to sell Kane for £100m. Bayern set to strike
July 24 – The future of England captain Harry Kane, one of the world’s most coveted strikers, has intensified after reports claimed he would be sold by Tottenham Hotspur if he doesn’t sign an extended contract.
FIFA pushes broadcast sales to the wire but delivers 200+ territories and $200m for WWC2023
July 24 – FIFA has said that despite difficulties in concluding broadcast contracts, they nevertheless provide a “strong global platform” for the Women’s World Cup.
Messi’s dream debut delivers a spectacular opener for new Leagues Cup
July 23 – It was a dream start for Lionel Messi, Inter Miami and the first edition of the Leagues Cup which sees MLS and Liga MX clubs halt league play for a month-long tournament across the US and Canada in July and August.
Serbian league kick-off on hold after CAS ruling keeps Kolubara in top tier
July 24 – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne has reduced the punishment of Serbian club FK Kolubara. In May, the Serbian Football Union deducted 9 points from Kolubara a round before the end of the championship, effectively relegating them from the first division.
NZ fan interest tapers off as Italy snatch late winner against Argentina
By Samindra Kunti in Auckland
July 24 – Italy opened their Women’s World Cup campaign with a 1-0 win over Argentina following a last-gasp goal by substitute Cristiana Girelli.
Drone show celebrates Concacaf’s qualified women’s teams as World Cup 2023 kicks off
July 23 – To mark the start of the Women’s World Cup 2023 and as a send-off for a record number of Concacaf nations playing in the event, Concacaf through Skyworx Drone Shows, staged another spectacular drone light show.
Emenalo charged with building ‘sustainable’ talent pipeline for Saudi Pro League
July 24 – Former Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo, now the Saudi Pro League’s director of football, has spoken of his new role leading the country’s Player Acquisition Centre of Excellence (PACE).
Vietnam make historic debut against three-peat chasing USA
July 22 – Vietnam made their debut at the World Cup finals with a respectable 3-0 defeat against defending champions the United States, who outshot their opponents 28-0 but failed to capitalise on their chances against a fiercely competitive Vietnamese side.