SA Tourism pull out of Spurs shirt sleeve deal after public outcry over spending
February 9 – South Africa has scrapped a £42.5 million sponsorship deal with Tottenham Hotspur before it even got off the ground following a national outcry.
Real Madrid brush off Al Ahly to set up Club World Cup final against Al Hilal
February 9 – A depleted Real Madrid still breezed past African champions Al Ahly 4-1 to set up a Club World Cup final against Saudi club Al Hilal on Saturday in Morocco.
Croatia mourns passing of coaching legend Miroslav Blazevic, aged 87
February 9 – A bronze medal winner at the 1998 World Cup and a fierce motivator as a coach, Miroslav Blazevic passed away at the age of 87 following a prolonged battle with illness.
Matt Scott: The end for the City of Gold?
February 9 – Analysing the Premier League’s case against Manchester City
“Croesus; man is entirely chance, and nobody knows what the gods may bring tomorrow.” Herodotus, The Histories
French World Cup star and Spurs keeper Lloris out for two months
February 9 – Former France captain Hugo Lloris has been ruled out of action for Tottenham Hotspur for up to eight weeks after suffering a knee ligament injury in Sunday’s Premier League win over Manchester City.
Belgium drop Thierry Henry as Tedesco promises quality over youth
February 9 – Succeeding Roberto Martinez, Belgium’s new coach Domenico Tedesco has promised he will not break with the past but simply select quality players.
Roma plug in energy partner with A2A deal
February 9 – Serie A’s AS Roma has added energy company A2A as an official partner. A2A will promote its A2A Energia brand.
Saudi’s Al Hilal shock Brazil’s Flamengo to qualify for Club World Cup final
February 8 – In one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history, Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal stunned 10-man Flamengo to reach the Club World Cup final with a 3-2 victory over South America’s Copa Libertadores champions on Tuesday.
That World Cup race again. It’s coming
Will anything change? Ever? Has FIFA cleaned its Augean Stables of US/Latino making? Corruption, bribery, kick-backs, nepotism, favoritism – have they all disappeared, are they gone with the wind? The wind of (US-controlled) change?
“Quo vadis FIFA?”, one might ask, eight years later.
Brazil’s proposed Liga Forte secures €879m buy-in from venture capitalists
February 8 – The 26 clubs of the Liga Forte (LFF), one of two groups seeking to redesign Brazilian football, have reportedly closed an investment agreement with domestic venture capital group Life Capital Partners and US investment group Serengeti Asset Management, worth R$4.85bn (€879.6 million).
Qatari investors line up massive bid for Man Utd, reports
February 8 – Qatari investors are planning to make a massive bid to buy Manchester United in the coming days that will blow rival suitors out of the water, according to newspaper reports citing unnamed sources.
Chinese Super League returns to home and away schedule as covid rules relaxed
February 8 – All matches in the Chinese Super League (CSL) will be played on home-and-away basis this year bringing to an end three seasons of COVID-19 restrictions.
LaLiga files complaint at Mallorca court over racial abuse that targeted Vinicius
February 8 – La Liga has filed a complaint with a local court in Mallorca over the racist abuse targeted at Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior.
Crystal Palace is first Premier League club to debut channel on WeAre8 social media app
February 8 – Crystal Palace are the first Premier League club to sign up to socially conscious social media app WeAre8 with an official presence.
Bayern bank on Adyen to open up payment solutions globally
February 8 – Bayern Munich has partnered with financial technology platform Adyen which has become the club’s the exclusive payment solution partner.