Neymar in Barca for ‘loyalty bonus’ dispute
September 27 – Neymar is back in Barcelona but not to re-sign for the club.
FIFA cuts agent transfer commissions and restricts club loan deals
September 26 – FIFA has announced a series of measures to restrict fees paid to players’ agents and the number of overseas loans that can be made as part of an initiative to regulate the transfer market.
AFC draws teams for Thailand 2020 U-23 finals and Olympic qualifier
September 26 – The draw for the AFC U-23 finals that will be played in Thailand in January 2020 was held in Bangkok today and pitched defending champions Uzbekistan in the same group as the region’s football power houses South Korea and Iran, as well as the deeply aspirational Chinese.
Lauber survives as Swiss AG despite undocumented Infantino meetings
September 26 – The Swiss parliament has narrowly voted to extend the mandate of the country’s attorney general Michael Lauber despite a series of undocumented private meetings he held with FIFA president Gianni Infantino during his office’s handling of numerous cases of alleged FIFA-related corruption since 2015.
India’s I-League future looks fragile with AFC club slots in doubt
September 26 – India’s I-League will kick off November 16 with its future, and the status of its qualification slot for the regional Asian Football Confederation (AFC) club competitions still unclear.
CFG grows its Man City deal with EA Sports to cover all its clubs worldwide
September 26 – Manchester City owners City Football Group has beefed up its club partnership with video game maker EA Sports, tuning it into a global deal across all seven of its owned clubs.
MLS overturns ban on anti-Nazi Iron Front symbol
September 26 – Major League Soccer is lifting its ban on the Iron Front symbol, an anti-Nazi symbol, for the remainder of the season and the playoffs after sustained protests from fan groups.
Italian Olympic boss Malago bellyflops into racism row
September 26 – The chairman of the Italian Olympics Committee has sparked fierce controversy by suggesting that diving is a more serious issue than racism in Italian football.
TEAM launch sponsorship sales for 2021-24 UEFA club competitions
September 26 – The sales processes for UEFA’s club competitions for the 2021-24 commercial cycle has been launched following approval of the sponsorship ‘concepts’ by UEFA’s executive committee.
UEFA urges boycott of clubs and countries where women aren’t allowed in stadia
By Andrew Warshaw
September 25 – UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has urged European nations and clubs to boycott playing in countries where women are forbidden from attending men’s matches.
Ceferin targets match-fixing and broadcast piracy in push to protect game
September 25 – Two separate initiatives, one targeting match-fixing, the other pirate broadcasting, are being launched by UEFA.
Silva’s sweet joke turns sour over ‘racist stereotype’
September 25 – A tweet posted by a Manchester City player about a teammate has been condemned by Britain’s Anti-racism group Kick It Out but played down by City manager Pep Guardiola.
Germany and Croatia saved as UEFA expands Nations League top tier to 16 teams
September 26 – UEFA has confirmed a reshuffle in the format of the second Nations League, offering a reprieve to Germany, Croatia, Poland and Iceland who would have been relegated from the top tier of the competition for its second edition in 2020.
UEFA unveils 32-team Conference League for 2021 kick off
September 25 – UEFA has unveiled further details of its third tier club competition, the UEFA Conference League, which will be introduced in the 2021/22 season.
Wage costs at Man Utd surge above £300m, as profit edges ahead
By David Owen
September 24 – Manchester United have got the 2018-19 Premier League financial results season off to a restrained start, reporting a modest increase in annual profit for the year to end-June. The Old Trafford club, already struggling this season to find an on-pitch rhythm under former striker-turned-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, posted a pre-tax figure of £27.5 million for 2018-19, up from a restated £25.8 million the previous year.