By Andrew Warshaw
October 2 – Exactly four months since the euphoria of reaching the Champions League final, the fortunes of Tottenham Hotspur have taken a second straight turn for the worse with words like “crisis” and “humiliation” splashed across the English media amid growing speculation over whether manager Mauricio Pochettino has taken the London side as far as he can.
October 2 – PSG’s duo of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar are still the most valuable players in the world at €225 million and €196 million, but the record breaking summer transfer window has thrown some new names into the pot with Arsenal’s new winger Nicolas Pépé topping a ranking of players who have increased their market value.
October 2 – Just like his infamous predecessor Chuck Blazer, Enrique Sanz, former general secretary Concacaf, has been banned for life for his involvement in the FifaGate scandal.
October 2 – The former president of Valencia Juan Soler (pictured) has been jailed for two years for conspiring to kidnap his one-time vice-president and break into his home.
October 2 – Dutch club Ajax often have the ‘giants’ epithet attached to them because of their deeds on the pitch. Now they are getting closer to justifying that term financially having reported a 2018/19 financial year that more than doubled turnover to €199.5 million.
October 2 – UEFA and MATCH Hospitality have teamed up for the exclusive sales of Euro 2020 hospitality tickets and packages. The agreement covers Spain, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Mexico, Peru and Colombia.
October 2 – Sierra Leone captain Umaru Bangura says he is considering his international future after angry supporters vandalised his house in retaliation for him missing a decisive stoppage-time penalty in a World Cup qualifier against Liberia last month.
October 2 – French top-flight club Nice have sacked their teenage striker Lamine Diaby-Fadiga (pictured) after he admitted stealing a watch apparently worth €70,000 from team-mate Kasper Dolberg in the dressing room last month.
October 1 – African Champions League winners Esperance have today received their $2.5 million prize money from the Confederation of African Football.
October 1 – ‘Possession is nine-tenths of the law’ is perhaps a phrase that can be applied to football. If you have the majority of the ball the stats indicate that you are likely to win.
October 1 – Europe’s football leagues have joined forces with the international players’ union body FIFPro to try and improve the way concussion cases are managed, potentially including independent doctors being on site.
October 1 – Cardiff City have been ordered by FIFA to pay the first instalment of €6 million to Nantes for £15 million striker Emiliano Sala who died in January when the light aircraft carrying him to Cardiff two days after he signed crashed into the sea before he could play a single game.
October 1 – Germany’s Bundesliga, which has been targeting commercial expansion in the US market, has secured a six-year broadcast deal with subscription streaming service ESPN+.
October 1 – FIFA has revealed the Education City Stadium as the venue for the final of this year’s Club World Cup in Qatar. The stadium will also host matches during the 2022 World Cup.
October 1 – When Manchester United appointed Ole Gunnar Solskjær as their full-time manager on a three-year contract at the end of March, it was supposed to herald a new dawn for the club.