UEFA unveils 32-team Conference League for 2021 kick off
September 25 – UEFA has unveiled further details of its third tier club competition, the UEFA Conference League, which will be introduced in the 2021/22 season.
Wage costs at Man Utd surge above £300m, as profit edges ahead
By David Owen
September 24 – Manchester United have got the 2018-19 Premier League financial results season off to a restrained start, reporting a modest increase in annual profit for the year to end-June. The Old Trafford club, already struggling this season to find an on-pitch rhythm under former striker-turned-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, posted a pre-tax figure of £27.5 million for 2018-19, up from a restated £25.8 million the previous year.
Is Spurs’ cup half full or half empty? Carabao exit to Colchester points to cracks
By Andrew Warshaw
September 25 – From Champions League finalist to elimination in their domestic League Cup by the lowest-ranked side left in the competition – in little over three months. What is going on at Tottenham Hotspur?
Big money non-starters. Spurs, Liverpool and Man City keep new players benched
September 25 – With the new season gathering pace, the CIES Football Observatory has analysed how the big money transfers are settling in with their new teams, with initial indications suggesting not very well at some of Europe’s leading clubs.
Bundesliga and Vodafone trial 5G mobile app at Wolfsburg
September 25 – Germany’s Bundesliga has tested the first applications of its 5G mobile stadia plan with Vodafone at Vfl Wolfsburg’s Volkswagen Arena as part of a live demonstration for their home game against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
Performance enhancer: Arsenal turn to Science in Sport as Sports Nutrition Supplier
September 25 – Arsenal have signed a one-season deal with sports nutrition specialists Science in Sport (SiS) who become the club’s Official Sports Nutrition Supplier.
UEFA to consider expanding top tier of Nations League
September 24 – Governing body UEFA is considering a shakeup of the Nations League by expanding the top tier of the competition.
Thomas Cook collapse hits fans booked to follow English clubs in Europe
September 24 – Hundreds of fans are awaiting news on whether packages for upcoming games will be valid following the collapse this week of the Thomas Cook travel company.
Leo bests Ronnie, Rapinoe bests the lot with inequality speech at FIFA Awards
September 24 – Same old, nothing new. Lionel Messi, with almost weary predictability, won the top men’s player prize at the Best FIFA Football Awards in Milan on Monday as Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk, the two other short-listed nominees, missed out – the former staying away from the glittering but stuttering ceremony that somehow managed to lurch on to national broadcaster TV screens last night.
Trinidad FA canvases stakeholders with aim of restructuring national game
September 24 – The Trinidad and Tobago FA has begun a roadshow via its National Football Committee to canvas opinion and recommendations for a restructuring of the game within the country.
New Balance battle to keep Liverpool kit deal in face of £70m+ Nike offer
September 24 – New Balance are battling to hold on to their kit deal with Liverpool and have filed a High Court to do that, though has said that it hopes a resolution to the dispute can be found outside of court.
Shutting out racists: UEFA slaps stadium bans on Romania, Hungary and Slovakia
September 24 – Clearly having lost patience with the scourge of racism throughout European football, UEFA has hit Romania, Hungary and Slovakia with stadium bans that could have serious consequences for their Euro 2020 qualification hopes.
Time runs out for Cuper and Uzbeks make changes for next round of World Cup qualifiers
September 24 – Hector Cuper has been dismissed as coach of Uzbekistan. The Argentinean will be succeeded by Vadim Abramov.
Two jailed for hacking CCTV of Sala post-mortem
September 24 – Two people who illegally accessed CCTV footage of Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala’s post-mortem examination and who were “driven by morbid curiosity” have been jailed.
Infantino threatens Iran saying FIFA will no longer wait for women to allowed in stadia
By Andrew Warshaw
September 23 – Gianni Infantino says FIFA “cannot wait any more” for women to be allowed into Iranian stadiums to watch men’s matches and that he has been “assured” the authorities will relent when the country hosts its next international match.