Spurs ban 48 fans for selling Champions League tickets to Red Star fans
November 1 – Tottenham Hotspur have handed indefinite bans to 48 fans who sold tickets on to Red Star Belgrade supporters for last week’s Champions League match.
Social media abuse pushes Arsenal skipper Xhaka to ‘boiling point’
November 1 – Granit Xhaka said he had reached “boiling point” after receiving social media abuse, explaining his angry reaction to Arsenl supporters against Crystal Palace last weekend.
Man Utd co-operating with sexual abuse investigation into former kit man
November 1 – Manchester United have said they are “cooperating fully” with a review into historical sex abuse by the English FA after allegations against former club employee Billy Watts, who died in 2009.
World Cup bid bribery back in the spotlight as Russia 2018 email cache released
By Andrew Warshaw
October 31 – The murky business of World Cup bidding has been thrust back into the spotlight by leaked emails which claim to offer a blueprint of how Russia could bribe FIFA’s most senior officials to vote for them to stage the 2018 tournament.
UEFA disciplinary focus back on Celtic and Lazio fans ahead of clash in Rome
October 31 – Celtic and Lazio have been charged by UEFA after fans participated in “illicit chanting” during the Europa League group clash between the two teams last week.
Esports strategy: Smart clubs plan for more than just the FIFA game in global branding play
By Paul Nicholson
October 31 – The esports business is expected to generate $1 billion of income this year, rising to $5 billion annually in five years time. It is an income growth wave that football has been keen to catch, but a report by the KPMG Football Benchmark team argues that the attraction of football to esports should not be solely about revenue generation.
KAA Gent under fire as betting ad integrity issues focus Belgian regulators
October 31 – As Osasuna socios ask their board to rethink the club’s shirt sponsorship by Kirolbet, so betting company activity in football is also focussing minds in Belgium where the Belgium Gambling Commission (BGC) has opened an investigation into Jupiler Pro League club KAA Gent.
FIFA takes transparency step with new legal portal detailing ethics rulings and procedures
October 31 – FIFA has launched a new web-based legal portal that will hold detail and documents of FIFA’s legal and compliance activities including disciplinary decisions handed down from its ethics bodies as well as information on procedures.
Hegerberg double breaks Champions League scoring records
October 31 – Norwegian striker Ada Hegerberg has broken the goalscoring record in the Women’s Champions League, becoming the competition’s all-time top scorer with 53 goals following a brace on Wednesday against Denmark’s Fortuna Hjorring.
Club World Cup trumps League Cup as Klopp says date clash will force Liverpool out
October 31 – In a highly unusual move, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has threatened to pull his team out of the League Cup competition due to fixture congestion.
Pressing matters: Roma boost media output with Gazzetta deal
October 31 – AS Roma have teamed up with Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport until June 2021.
Charity Commission review critical of Kick It Out’s internal governance
October 31 – An independent review of one of English football’s most respected anti-discrimination organisations, Kick It Out, has found a series of governance shortcomings including “failures of communication” concerning how it handled an allegation of sexual assault made by a member of staff in 2017.
Bury cling to lifeline of 35-day extension to settle debts
October 31 – Bury FC, the first English professional team to go out of business for 27 years, have been given a 35-day extension after a winding-up petition was adjourned in the High Court.
Anti-racism campaigners slam UEFA’s Bulgarian sanction as weak and ‘disheartening’
October 30 – English anti-discrimination campaigners have denounced UEFA for failing to throw Bulgaria out of the competition, or at least dock points, as punishment for their fans’ racist abuse of England players in the recent Euro 2020 qualifier between the sides.
Togo’s Le Roy slams FIFA’s Club World Cup saying it will ‘kill’ AFCON
October 30 – FIFA’s decision to expand the Club World Cup and play it in June 2021 has been attacked by Togo’s veteran French coach Claude le Roy who says it will “kill” the Africa Cup of Nations.