‘Money-ball’ investors Pacific Media Group take control of Belgium’s KV Oostende
February 17 – American investment company Pacific Media Group (PMG) has acquired a majority stake in struggling Belgian top-flight club KV Oostende.
Everton terminate SportPesa’s shirt deal three years early
February 17 – With sponsorship of football by gambling firms very much on the radar of UK regulators, Everton have become the first Premier League club to announce they are ending their deal with Kenyan online gaming giant SportPesa.
David Owen: It’s time to accept the FA Cup for what it is, not what it once was
By David Owen
One line in Watford’s recent annual accounts jumped out at me. Explaining a near 15% increase in turnover, the strategic report said this was “mainly due to an increase in Media & Broadcasting revenue because of a higher finishing position consequently attracting increased centralised distributions from the Premier League”.
Munich air disaster hero Harry Gregg dies, aged 87
February 17 – Former Manchester United goalkeeper Harry Gregg, hailed as a hero for his role in the 1958 Munich air disaster, has died at the age of 87.
CAF responds to PwC audit saying it is full of ‘unfounded allegations’
By Paul Nicholson
February 14 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has issued a statement disputing the “unfounded allegations” contained in PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) audit of the governing body’s finances.
Iraq takes steps to a new political reboot as Premier League restarts play
By Paul Nicholson
February 14 – This is a big week for Iraqi football. On Wednesday FIFA announced a normalisation committee would take over the running of the game in the country. This weekend the Iraqi Premier League will restart play after a period of suspension due to political situation and safety fears.
Euro 2020 ticket requests top 28 million, reports UEFA
February 14 – Ticket demand for the one-off pan-Continental European Championship this summer, being staged in 12 cities, has gone through the roof.
PSG head Man City in financial power ranking. Man Utd’s debt sees it slump to 16th
February 14 – French champions Paris Saint Germain have leapfrogged Manchester City as football’s most financially powerful club, according to Soccerex’s annual Football Finance report.
Juve re-sign Allianz in €130m deal
February 14 – Italy’s Juventus and global insurance giant Allianz have extended their partnership until 2030 in a deal worth €103.1 million.
Casillas seeking to prove he would be a safe pair of hands as boss of Spanish FA
February 14 – With the elections for president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) due to take place in March, Spanish goalkeeping legend Iker Casillas is back in the frame to stand against the incumbent, Luis Rubiales.
Quarantine over, Chinese women prove to be surprise package at AFC Olympic qualifiers
February 14 – The AFC qualifiers for the Tokyo 2022 Olympics women’s tournament have been whittled down to the final four teams after Australia came back in injury time to secure a 1-1 draw against China and win the group on goal difference. Both teams go through to the final play-off.
African Super Cup in Qatar is not ‘neutral’ ground for Egypt’s Zamalek
February 14 – Eight months after one of the most bitter episodes in the history of African football, the Continent’s Super Cup takes place later today between Tunisia’s Esperance and Egypt’s Zamalek on neutral ground in Doha.
FIFA-forgotten Pacific Islands plan new regional tournament
February 14 – A new competition for non-FIFA affiliated Oceania regions is in the pipeline according to local reports.
Word Association Football: boundaries blur over yids, yiddos and Spurs fans
By Andrew Warshaw
February 13 – In a move that has split opinion among the Jewish community and fans of Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, the Oxford English Dictionary has changed its definition of the word Yid to include a “supporter of or player for” the north London club.
Barca embrace blockchain with €80m issue of 40m digital fan tokens at €2 each
February 13 – FC Barcelona have become the latest club to embrace blockchain technology with an agreement with Chiliz to launch a ‘Barca Fan Token’.