Atleti and Sevilla stars shine in the Gulf
By David Owen
December 13 – Atlético Madrid and Sevilla may have disappointed in this season’s Champions League, but their players are doing the business at Qatar 2022.
Women's Euro 2025
Norway look for perfect group stage record against Iceland
July 10 – Norway take on Iceland in their final Group A match, looking to clinch a 100% record at EURO 2025 so far.
Spanish court clears Neymar of transfer fee fraud over move to Barca
December 13 – A Spanish court has acquitted Brazilian superstar Neymar and other defendants in a fraud and corruption case relating to his 2013 transfer to Barcelona from Santos after prosecutors had dropped all charges in the high-profile trial.
Qatar’s EU bribery scandal casts uncomfortable shadow over World Cup closing
December 13 – A Belgian judge has charged four people after the seizure of €600,000 in cash and detained members of the European Parliament as part of an international investigation into claims that football World Cup host Qatar sought to buy influence, rocking the heart of the continent’s politics.
Qatar to host centralised AFC Champions League 2022 West region knockout rounds
December 13 – Qatar will be the centralised host for the Asian Football Confederation’s West region Champions League 2022 final knock-out rounds in February of next year.
Man City thinking bigger with Etihad Stadium and Campus expansion plan
December 13 – Manchester City is looking at plans to increase the capacity of the Etihad stadium to 60,000 as well as boost facilities around the stadium footprint.
Fan safety report: 1,800 spectator injuries at grounds in England’s top two tiers
December 13 – More than 1,800 fans were injured at English Premier League and Football League games last season.
LaLiga takes Sevilla’s ‘Transfer Tracker’ to market to reclaim unpaid player fees
December 13 – LaLiga Tech, the digital development and commercial partnership arm of the Spanish league, is partnering with Sevilla FC to make its ‘Transfer Tracker’ technology available to clubs worldwide.
Al Rihla at journey’s end as Adidas brings in new Al Hilm ball for final rounds
December 12 – FIFA will debut a new Adidas ball for the final four matches of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, with the ball in action for the first time tonight in the Argentina vs Croatia semi-final.
Aussie dissent grows over Grand Finals hosting sell-off
December 13 – Anthony Di Pietro (pictured) has resigned as a director of the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) amid the continuing fallout over the contentious decision to sell hosting rights for the title-deciding ‘Grand Finals’ to Sydney until 2025.
Dominguez pushes for 2030 in South America, and opens door for Copa America 2024 in US
December 12 – The South American confederation, Conmebol, is stepping up its campaign to host the 2030 World Cup despite a likely counter-bid from Europe.
Morocco stun Portugal to set up history making semi-final with France
December 12 – Channelling their inner ‘Rocky’ in eliminating Portugal 1-0 from the World Cup and becoming the first African country to reach the last four of the global finals, coach Walid Regragui believes that his side can win the ultimate prize.
Worst World Cup referees ever. Officials under fire for series of shocking failures
By Andrew Warshaw
December 12 – Referees are invariably lambasted at various stages during major competitions. It goes with the territory.
Should I stay or should I go: Southgate has emotional clash over England future
December 12 – As England lick their wounds after falling just short for the third tournament in a row, manager Gareth Southgate is pondering whether to stay on in the role.
Saudi Arabia continues to build partnerships with Ghana FA hook-up
December 12 – The increasingly fast-moving Saudi Arabian Football Association (SAFF) has signed another Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with another international federations, this time with the Ghana FA.
SIGA heads launch of Sport Transparency Index to rank clubs, leagues and governing bodies
December 12 – The Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA), has announced the launch of a Sports Transparencey Index which will rank and compare base transparency levels between clubs, leagues, national associations and governing bodies.