Premier League set to drop all Covid measures by end of Feb
February 11 – The English Premier League hopes to phase out all Covid-19 emergency measures by the end of this month.
Gold Cup 2025
No more Mr Guy: Marsch respects disciplinary process as he embeds culture of ruthlessness in Canada
June 20 – Under fire Canada coach Jesse Marsch who is facing disciplinary action following his behaviour at Canada’s opening game of the Gold Cup, said “there’s a process in place and I respect that”.
Weary-looking Chelsea face a confident Palmeiras for Club World Cup title
February 11 – A decade after losing the 2012 competition, Chelsea will seek to win their first Club World Cup against Palmeiras from Brazil on Saturday to wrap up a tournament of which the future remains shrouded in mystery.
Eriksen gets ready to be a Premier League pacemaker
February 11 – Cardiac victim Christian Eriksen, about to resume his career in the English Premier League, says he was “gone from this world” for five minutes at last summer’s Euros but that there is nothing to stop him getting back to being as good as he was.
Botafogo go crypto with Bitci fan tokens and NFT option
February 11 – Botafogo have signed a sponsorship agreement with Turkish blockchain platform Bitci, becoming the latest Brazilian club to enter the fan-token market.
Man Utd take first major crypto steps with Tezos blockchain
February 11 – Manchester United has entered the cryptocurrency and blockchain world for the forst time with a partnership with Swiss-based Tezos who will have their logo on the men’s and women’s training kits.
Inside job: Brazilian police arrest bank robber who hit Neymar’s accounts
February 11 – Brazilian police have arrested a man they believe hacked into Neymar’s bank accounts and repeatedly stole from the account taking up to $40,000.
LaLiga keeps up the deal flow with Cabreiroá water sponsorship
February 11 – LaLiga has added another sponsor category to its fast expanding portfolio. Cabreiroá has become theofficial water of LaLiga’s three divisions with immediate effect.
Adidas drops Zouma for putting the boot into his cat
February 11 – West Ham United’s French defender Kurt Zouma has been dropped by kit manufacturer Adidas in response to footage of the defender attacking one of his cats.
Al-Khelaifi heralds new dawn of ECA/UEFA relations and the ‘tectonic shift’ of the TEAM deal
By Paul Nicholson
February 10 – European Club Association (ECA) chair Nasser Al-Khelaifi (pictured) has written to the 240+ members saying that the new three-year commercial deal agreed with TEAM Marketing and Relevent Sports Group is a watershed moment for the association.
Kenya women appeal to Infantino to keep Uganda match on and World Cup hopes alive
By Andrew Warshaw
February 10 – Kenya’s women footballers have urged FIFA president Gianni Infantino to personally intervene to allow a crucial World Cup qualifier to go ahead and save their dream of reaching next year’s finals.
Belgian clubs report combined €139m loss
February 10 – Belgium’s 26 professional clubs registered total record losses of €139 million last year (2020-21 season), the bulk of it a result of the coronavirus crisis.
Man Utd’s €1bn player trading shortfall tops Europe’s super-spending league, Man City 2nd
February 10 – Manchester United have a negative balance of more than €1 billion on player transfer trading over the past decade. Add in Man City’s €984 million deficit and the 10-year account for Manchester shows a whopping €2 billion deficit.
Belgium keep top World ranking slot as Senegal enter top 20
February 2 – Belgium have retained top spot in the FIFA ranking ahead of Brazil and world champions France, with recently crowned African champions Senegal and The Gambia among the biggest risers.
An animated Collina gets everyone onside with SAOT test
February 10 – Pierluigi Collina, chairman of FIFA’s Referee Committee and FIFA’s Technology and Innovation, has emphasised that the referees and assistants on the field will still have the final decision, despite the advanced trials of the semi-automated offside technology system (SAOT).
Betway adds Chilean clubs as it expands its international sponsor footprint
February 10 – Online bookmaker Betway has again expanded its international football marketing footprint with its first sponsorship deals in Chile, signing up five clubs in the Chilean First Division.