November 4 – After it was initially reported that he had been hospitalised purely for tests, Diego Maradona, widely regarded as one of three finest footballers ever along with Pele and Lionel Messi, has undergone successful brain surgery for a blood clot in a specialist private clinic, his doctor confirmed.
November 4 – Serie A’s AC Milan has entered the esports with a strategic partnership with Italian organisation QLASH to form a new team that will be called AC Milanm QLASH.
November 4 – Wales manager Ryan Giggs has been forced to pull out of taking charge of the team for the next three international fixtures amid allegations of assault.
November 3 – Gianni Infantino, already being investigated by the Swiss authorities who have opened criminal proceedings against him, has been caught up in yet another saga which could potentially further undermine his credibility.
November 3 – Ajax, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Dynamo Kiev have all been hit by coronavirus infections ahead of their Champions League matches this week.
November 3 – At €180 million, Canadian and Bayern Munich starlet Alphonso Davies has the highest transfer values for big-5 league players born in the 2000s. He outranks England and Dortmund star Jadon Sancho (€125 million) and Spain and Barcelona’s Ansu Fati (€123 million). The CIES Football Observatory has ranked the top 100 players by a transfer value calculated using their own proprietary algorithm.
November 3 – Argentine great Diego Maradona has been hospitalised at La Plata, about an hour outside Buenos Aires, to undergo tests not reported to be related to coronavirus.
November 3 – Concacaf is to centralise the final rounds of its Champions League with a final now schedule for December 22. The venue for the matches, which will be in the US, will be announced in the coming weeks.
November 3 – UEFA is considering Russia as the sole host for Euro 2020 according to French newspaper Le Parisien. The governing body have not confirmed the report.
November 3 – Wales manager Ryan Giggs has denied an allegation of assault after British media reported he had been arrested following a disturbance at his home.
November 3 – Serbian coach Ljubisa Tumbakovic insists he will take charge of next week’s winner-takes-all Euro 2020 playoff at home to Scotland despite a one-match touchline ban handed out by UEFA for his team’s late arrival for a Nations League game last month.
November 3 – FIFA has launched its own Diploma in Club Management to provide club executives “with the latest practical know-how and insights from leading football industry experts”.
November 3 – One year after he was sacked by Tottenham Hotspur despite transforming the club into regular Champions League participants and even reaching the final in 2019, Mauricio Pochettino admits he was “disappointed and upset” but holds no grudges and is waiting for the right moment to return to the game.
Professional football is often seen as the Holy Grail by many aspiring young players, with their dreams of becoming the next Messi, Mane, Ronaldo, or Mbappe, and a golden ticket to escaping from their current situation, whilst securing the financial future of themselves and their families. It is a fertile opportunity for criminals and organised crime. Report by Fred Lord
By Andrew Warshaw
November 2 – While so-called “elite” football, deemed as the first six levels of the English game from the Premier League downwards, will still be able to continue during the upcoming second national lockdown caused by Covid-19 – albeit behind closed doors – those further down the pyramid face being cast into limbo, not for the first time.