Coronavirus: Man Utd positive tests threaten Brentford game
December 11 – Manchester United are the latest English top-flight club to be hit by a new coronavirus outbreak with a “small number” of players and staff testing positive.
Infected Bayern star Kimmich ‘regrets’ he didn’t get jabbed
December 13 – Bayern Munich and Germany star Joshua Kimmich will get vaccinated against the coronavirus after infection forced him to sit time out on the sidelines. Kimmich had refused to get jabbed, his vaccine hesitancy putting him in the spotlight of the vaccination debate.
Premier League covid passes needed as stadia kept at full capacity despite Omicron surge
December 10 – Football fans across England must show Covid-19 passes to enter any stadiums with a capacity of 10,000 or more from next week in response to the spread of the new Omicron variant.
Arab Cup: Qatar face UAE for spot in last 8; Moroccan form makes them title favourites
By Samindra Kunti in Doha
December 10 – In the last eight of the FIFA Arab Cup, hosts Qatar will take on rivals the United Arab Emirates on Friday seeking to build on their convincing group-stage form while Morocco and Algeria headline Saturday’s action.
Biennial World Cup and ESL no longer agenda items as UEFA focuses on new priorities
By Paul Nicholson
December 10 – UEFA will hold its Executive Committee next Thursday (December 16) via video conference and with an agenda that is noticeable absent of the two biggest issues that have faced the European federation over the past eight months – the biennial World Cup and the thwarted plans for a European Super League (ESL).
Spurs’ covid crisis forces Brighton game off and Vitesse to question fairness of Conference League
December 10 – The Covid outbreak sweeping through English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, which put paid to Thursday’s Europa Conference League fixture, has now forced Sunday’s Premier League game at Brighton to also be postponed.
Leicester crumble as Napoli make Europa League progress
December 10 – Napoli have knocked Leicester City out of the Europa League with a 3-2 victory in an end-to-end match and will join Barcelona among others in the knockout phase of the competition.
Bellingham breaks into big time with €120m valuation; Foden, Haaland and Vinicus hit €150m
December 10 – There is still big money in youth development despite an overall stagnation in the transfer market. A new transfer value analysis of the Big 5 leagues says there are 15 players under the age of 23 who could command a transfer fee of €100 million or more.
US women take world lead into 5th year; ranking grows to 176 nations
December 10 – The US women remain top of FIFA’s rankings, a position they have held since 2017. They are followed by Sweden and Germany.
SIGA invites candidates for 4th women’s global mentorship programme
December 10 – Sports integrity group SIGA has opened applications for its 2022 women’s global mentorship programme, aimed at promoting future leaders in sport and fostering greater gender equality in the boardroom.
RFEF questions legality of CVC’s €2bn stake in LaLiga as clubs prepare to vote
By Paul Nicholson
December 9 – Two days before LaLiga’s clubs are scheduled to vote on the Impulso Project which will see CVC inject almost €2 billion into the league, the Spanish FA (RFEF) and its president Luis Rubiales have issued a statement against the fund raising and questioning its legality under Spanish law.
Rennes fury at Spurs’ lack of ‘fair play’ as covid crisis forces game off
December 9 – Rennes have reacted angrily to UEFA’s decision to allow Tottenham Hotspur to call off tonight’s European Conference League fixture against their French opponents because of an outbreak of Covid-19.
Five nations bid for Beach Soccer 2023 hosting
December 9 – Colombia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Seychelles and Thailand have all expressed an interest in hosting the 2023 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
Lyon docked a point for bottle-throwing fan who caused abandonment of Marseilles game
December 9 – French top-flight side Lyon have been docked one point after their home game last month against Marseille was abandoned when the visitors’ Dimitri Payet was hit on the head by a bottle.
Real Madrid borrows another €225m to complete Santiago Bernabéu renovation
December 9 – Real Madrid has agreed a €225 million loan extension to complete the Santiago Bernabéu remodelling. The club said the loan was required work “not forseen” in the initial plans.