By Andrew Warshaw
February 24 – The role of Gianni Infantino in whoever gets over the line to land the top job in African football appears to be gaining more significance by the week.
February 24 – Australia and Qatar, the two non-South American teams due to take part in this year’s Copa America, have pulled out of the competition – the oldest in international football – because of scheduling conflicts caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
February 24 – India has launched a grassroots participation initiative that will reach millions of children across the country as part of its bid to host the 2027 Asian Cup.
February 24 – On Merseyside, Everton are flying high. Following their first derby win in 22 years at Anfield against arch rivals Liverpool, the club’s plans for a 52,000-seat stadium were unanimously approved by the local city council.
February 24 – UEFA has cancelled the 2021 Women’s and Men’s Under-19 Championships because of the coronavirus pandemic.
February 24 – Celtic manager Neil Lennon has resigned with the Glasgow giants 18 points behind arch-rivals Rangers in the Scottish Premiership table.
February 24 – Forest Green Rovers, the English fourth-tier club that is powered by renewable energy, serves vegan food to players, staff and fans and prides itself on being the “greenest” club in the world, have launched a new team shirt partly made of coffee waste.
February 24 – The Caribbean’s top regional club competition, the 2021 Flow Concacaf Caribbean Club Championship, will be centralised in the Dominican Republic, May 14-26 and, while the region’s Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield (CCCS) will be played in Curacao, April 23 and May 2.
February 25 – Short-form video-sharing app TikTok has agreed a multi-year partnership with MLS team Portland Timbers and the club’s NWSL side Portland Thorns FC.
February 24 – Pepsi MAX is using its Champions League sponsorship to activate its new football ad campaign ‘Music Keeps Us Fizzing’.
February 23 – Up to 10,000 fans could be back in English stadiums by the end of May as part of the British government’s efforts to move out of the third and hopefully final lockdown.
February 23 – Real Madrid have become embroiled in a new potential tax evasion scandal following unconfirmed reports that it allegedly tried to keep part of the proceeds from the sale of a commercial rights with the help of two companies, possibly fictitious, based in the tax haven of the Cayman Islands.
February 23 – Gianni Infantino’s African roadshow landed in Sudan on Monday, where the FIFA boss pledged more support for the north African country.
February 23 – Real Madrid have reportedly held “advanced talks’” with Saudi Arabia’s state-owned Qiddiya over a potential lucrative ten-year €150 million sponsorship deal.
February 23 – Kylian Mbappé may still be worth €185 million and Harry Kane alongside Raheem Sterling may still be the world’s second most valuable players at €125 million, but overall the values of players have dropped more than 10% during the pandemic, according to the latest data from KPMG Football Benchmark.