UEFA puts expansion of Euros to 32 teams on backburner
October 10 – UEFA will not expand the European Championship to 32 teams from its current 24-team format in the foreseeable future.
Euro 2024 qualifying draw sees Italy vs England repeat, while French face Dutch
October 10 – Not again! Defending champions Italy will face England in their Euro 2024 qualifying group, a repeat of last year’s final, following the draw on Sunday in Frankfurt.
Infantino tells president Widodo that Indonesia will keep U-20 World Cup 2023
October 10 – Indonesia will not face sanctions from FIFA over the police use of tear gas that contributed to the recent stadium disaster that killed 131 people, including 17 children.
QSI expands club ownerships with minority stake in Portugal’s Braga
October 10 – Expanding a club ownership portfolio that includes Paris Saint-Germain and KAS Eupen, Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) have acquired a minority stake in Portuguese club Braga.
Casillas says gay tweet was posted by a hacker. Still no gay men in football
October 10 – Former Spain and Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas has claimed that he was hacked hours after tweeting that he was gay.
One table where Haaland isn’t top scorer. Mbappé is worth €55m more than him
October 20 – Erling Haaland may be the hottest striker in world football at the moment but Kylian Mbappé is still the most valuable footballer at €222.9 million according to data from the Football Benchmark team.
Salman hails recovery of Asian game as Japan stun Iran to take Futsal title
October 10 – Japan clinching their fourth AFC Futsal Asian Cup title in Kuwait City on Saturday, beating Iran 3-2 in the final at the Saad Al Abdullah Hall.
Engelbert Strauss tries EURO 2024 for size
October 9 – Workwear brand Engelbert Strauss has expanded its sponsorships at UEFA to become the official workwear partner of the men’s Euros 2024 in Germany.
Indonesians bring first criminal cases after Arema stadium disaster
October 8 – Indonesian police are bringing criminal charges against three police officers and three civilians for their roles in the fatal stadium disaster that killed 131 people.
Messi says Qatar 2022 will be his big finish
October 8 – Lionel Messi has confirmed that Qatar will be his fifth and final World Cup as he seeks to win the tournament for the first time to cap a stellar career.
India and Saudi Arabia draw closer with multi-level MoU
October 8 – The All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen their relationship.
Anderlecht under the hammer as West Ham go top; Silkeborg super silky
By Samindra Kunti in Brussels
October 8 – West Ham United’s second-string team defeated Anderlecht 1-0 to maintain a perfect record in the Conference League and consolidate their lead at the top of Group B.
‘Exhausted’ Rapinoe turns attention from abuse to football
October 8 – US women’s superstar Megan Rapinoe, the public face of the world champions, says tonight’s showpiece friendly against European champions England serves as a “nice distraction” following the much-publicised inquiry that uncovered “systemic” abuse and misconduct in the US domestic league.
Ukraine unveiled as added co-host to Spain-Portugal 2030 WC bid at UEFA HQ
By Andrew Warshaw
October 6 – In a radical move clearly designed at gaining widespread support amongst the FIFA membership, Spain and Portugal added Ukraine to their 2030 World Cup bid on Wednesday in what they hailed as an act of European solidarity.
beIN Sports secures package of MENA rights for AFC competitions in 10-year deal
October 6 – The AFC and beIN Media Group have agreed a major broadcast deal for the next 10 years giving the broadcaster exclusive access to all the AFC’s competitions through to 2032.