Mexico and US in same group as Concacaf confirms Men’s Olympic qualifiers for March
February 8 – Concacaf has released the schedule for the eight-team 2020 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying to be played in Guadalajara, Mexico, March 18-30.
Concacaf reformats its Champions League with expanded teams, groups and split calendar
By Paul Nicholson
February 4 – Concacaf is completely revamping its 16-team Champions League into a 50-team competition that will begin with a 2023/24 season and see its three regions open up group stages before going into the 16-team knock-out rounds.
No route found round German border restrictions for Liverpool’s CL trip to Leipzig
February 5 – Covid restrictions have barred Liverpool from travelling to Germany next week for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against RB Leipzig, prompting a frantic search for a solution.
MLS pushes deadline on securing pay deal with players union, but key differences remain
February 5 – Major League Soccer (MLS) has again extended the deadline for negotiating a new pay deal with its players union. The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the MLS Players Association (MLSPA) has to be in place before the start of the new season in the Spring.
Tigres and Al Ahly win Club World Cup openers, Palmeiras and Bayern are next up
February 5 – An Andre-Pierre Gignac brace and a Hussein El Shahat’s 30th-minute strike secured semi-final slots at the Club World Cup in Qatar for Concacaf champions Tigres UANL and the African champions Al Ahly.
Denmark’s Esbjerg fB becomes latest Pacific Media-led acquisition
February 5 – Danish club Esbjerg fB, relegated from the top tier Superliga last season but currently in second place in Division 1, is the latest club to come under the control of Pacific Media Group who are partnering in the acquisition with Chien Lee, Partners Path Capital, and Krishen Sud.
European Leagues meet to debate Champions League restructure
February 5 – Following months of conjecture, football leagues across the Continent were holding crucial talks virtually today on a new-look Champions League from 2024 that will radically reshape the tournament.
Canal+ throw LFP a €35m lifeline for more TV rights to end of season
February 5 – France’s professional leagues have been handed a badly needed lifeline to help them over their broadcast rights crisis after Ligue 1 reached an agreement with Canal Plus to screen the remainder of matches this season following the spectacular collapse of a record contract with Mediapro.
SIGA launches Female Leadership in Sport web summit, March 8-10
February 5 – SIGA has opened registrations for its first Web Summit on Female Leadership in Sport. Three days of webinars will kick off on International Women’s Day March8 2021.
Fluminense signs online gambler Betmotion for one-year ‘shirt’ deal
February 5 – Brazil’s Fluminense have agreed a sponsorship with online gaming operator Betmotion that will see its logo on the club’s shirt in what is described as a ‘chest seal’ (see picture).
Tigres and Ulsan ready to kick off Club World Cup with Palmeiras waiting for winner
February 4 – Tigres UANL and Ulsan Hyundai will kick off the 2020 Club World Cup tonight in Qatar with European champions Bayern Munich the sky-high favourites to triumph in a tournament that was moved back because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Morocco dump hosts Cameroon out of CHAN to face Mali in final as favourites
February 4 – Morocco will have the chance to retain their African Nations Championship (CHAN) title against Mali in Sunday’s final after the defending champions stormed past hosts Cameroon with a 4-0 victory in the semi-finals.
New York, London and LA top world sports cities ranking
February 4 – An annual ranking of cities worldwide that are most associated with sports has again placed New York at the top, followed by London and Los Angeles.
FIFA probe Valencia owner Lim over transfer deals
February 4 – FIFA has launched an investigation into Valencia owner Peter Lim and company Meriton Holdings, according to reports in Spain.
Social media firms warned of £ billions in fines unless they tackle racist abuse
February 4 – The British government has threatened social media companies with fines which could amount to “billions of pounds” if they fail to tackle abuse of footballers on their platforms.