VAR makes its Moroccan club debut
February 19 – Morocco has become the first African country to use VAR in a top-flight league game.
Miserable Mourinho bemoans a break he didn’t need as Son sidelined
February 19 – Tottenham Hotspur’s South Korean international forward Son Heung-min has fractured his arm and could miss the rest of the season, a crushing blow to last season’s Champions League finalists who are already without long-term injury victim Harry Kane.
Wolves enjoy life back in Premier League with £22m profit
By David Owen
February 18 – Wolverhampton Wanderers, the famous old Midlands club currently engaged on their first European campaign in almost four decades, have reported a rebound to profitability for their first season back in the Premier League.
Italian mafia judge calls for money from organised crime cases to be returned to sport
By Paul Nicholson in Rome
February 18 – Money confiscated from the prosecution of sport crime should be returned to sport, says Franco Frattini, Justice and Chamber President to the Italian Supreme Administrative Court and the leading judge tackling mafia and organised crime in Italy.
Osasu Obayiuwana: Will PwC audit bring a day of reckoning for CAF’s toxic culture?
When two [or more] elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers” – African proverb.
When FIFA, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL and the OFC were brought to their knees, in 2015, as a result of the financial scandals that exposed shocking levels of graft and maladministration in the game, informed watchers of the African football landscape always wondered when the continent’s inevitable moment of reckoning would come, as it was virtually unscathed during this tumultuous period.
Japan unveils plan for new women’s pro-league as 2023 WWC bid inspectors due
February 18 – In 2021, Japan will replace their existing women’s Nadeshiko League with a fully-professional league that will require one female executive at each club.
VAR gamechanger as Man Utd keep Maguire in play and Chelsea double chalked off
February 18 – Another Premier League fixture, another headline-making VAR controversy, this time in favour of Manchester United after not one, but two Chelsea ‘goals’ were ruled out in Monday’s high-profile clash in the race for the top four.
Barca bosses deny ‘dirty tricks’ social media campaign
February 18 – FC Barcelona have lurched from one crisis to the next this season. The latest controversy is over local media reports that the Catalan giants contracted the services of I3 Ventures, a social media company, to damage the reputations of key players, including Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique.
New goal: Casillas confirms he will challenge Rubiales for RFEF presidency
February 18 – First it was hotly rumoured, then it picked up steam – and now it’s confirmed. Spain’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper Iker Casillas has announced his intention to run for the presidency of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) against the present incumbent Luis Rubiales.
FIFPro promises to support players who walk-off after racial abuse
February 18 – The world players’ union FIFPro has come out in support for players or teams who walk off the pitch due to racism following the abuse suffered by Porto forward Moussa Marega (pictured) at the hands of opposing fans during a Portuguese league match on Sunday.
Beckham’s Inter Miami lands £180m Qatar deal, say reports
February 18 – Inter Miami, the new MLS franchise where David Beckham is an owner has reportedly secured a £180 million sponsorship deal with Qatar.
Porto’s Marega walks off after sustained racial abuse
February 17 – Yet another top-flight footballer has walked off the pitch in protest at being racially abused with monkey chants.
CAF in crisis: senior staff quit as morale plummets, match officials go unpaid
By Osasu Obayiuwana
February 16 – As the Confederation of African Football (CAF) continues to deal with the unsavoury revelations emanating from the PwC forensic audit of its finances and governance practices, the organisation is set to lose two of its key directors.
UEFA hits Man City with two season European ban for breaking FFP rules
By Andrew Warshaw
February 15 – In a seismic ruling that has sent shockwaves across the sport, English Premier League champions Manchester City have been banned by UEFA from all European club competition for the next two seasons and fined €30 million after being found to have committed “serious breaches” of financial fair play rules.
Rio prosecutor tells Flamengo to increase compensation to families over fire deaths
February 17 – Rio de Janeiro’s public prosecutor and the state’s public ministry have demanded greater compensation from Flamengo for the families of the ten youth players who perished in a fire at the club’s training complex last year. The fire will no longer be treated as a ‘collective accident’.