Chile president tells FIFA it is not ‘serious’ after World Cup 2030 hosting snub
October 6 – Chile is up in arms after being snubbed as joint hosts of the 2030 World Cup by FIFA.
News
IMG picks up two-year deal to sell CAF’s sponsorship portfolio
October 6 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) have partnered with IMG, appointing the sports marketing specialist the global sponsorship agency for the confederation until 2025.
Infantino appoints from within as hard man Grafstöm takes over from Samoura
October 6 – Matthias Grafstöm of Sweden has become the new FIFA secretary general on an interim basis, making him, on paper, the second-most powerful man in the world football governing body.
FIFA rubber stamps UEFA’s decision to let Russian U17 teams back into competition
October 6 – With UEFA’s executive committee having voted to let Russia’s U17 national teams back into international competition last week, the FIFA Council has now followed suit and extended this decision to cover the U-17 World Cup and FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
FIFA launches women’s futsal championship and expands U20 women’s finals
October 6 – FIFA has unveiled plans for a new women’s futsal tournament while expanding its existing women’s age-group competitions.
Turkish FA boss chased out of Besiktas stadium by fans
October 6 – The UEFA Conference League match between Besiktas and Swiss Lugano in Istanbul was marred by Besiktas fans forcing the president of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) Mehmet Büyükekşi to leave the Tupras stadium before the end of the first half.
French league disciplines four PSG players for offensive song after Marseilles win
October 6 – Four Paris Saint-Germain players have been handed a one-match suspended sentence for offensive chants aimed at bitter rival Marseille after a league match last month.
FIFA picks on Cotton Day to push economic inclusion agenda for African nations
October 6 – FIFA has turned the world spotlight on African cotton producers ahead of World Cotton Day to explore how football can help small producers in the Cotton 4 (plus) countries in Africa.
LaLiga and SportsBoost push deeper into AI developer worlds
October 6 – LaLiga partnered with sports startup accelerator SportsBoost, set up by legendary Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas, to hold a conference on Tuesday that probesd into the benefits of artificial intelligence through the lens of the sporting world.
FIFA decisions put Saudi Arabia in pole position to win hosting of 2034 World Cup
By Andrew Warshaw and Paul Nicholson
October 5 – Within minutes of FIFA opening up the 2034 World Cup solely to countries from Asia and Oceania, Saudi Arabia became the first to announce it will bid to host the tournament, confirming a long-established desire to stage the biggest footballing show on earth.
FIFA ‘pre-awards’ 2030 World Cup to Morocco, Spain and Portugal with a nod to South American roots
By Samindra Kunti
October 5 – With a decision that will reshape football’s pinnacle event, FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino revealed that the 2030 finals will be played in six countries on three continents with opening matches to be held in South America to celebrate the tournament’s centenary. The decision paved the way for Saudi Arabia to stage the finals in 2034.
Klopp demands Spurs game is replayed after VAR blunders cost Liverpool EPL top spot
October 4 – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is calling for the club’s controversial Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend to be replayed after a VAR blunder cost his team a crucial goal.
Becks bangs the drum for a happy LGBTQ+ experience in Qatar as he launches Netflix doc
October 5 – David Beckham has fiercely defended his decision to accept millions of pounds from Qatar to serve as a football ambassador for last year’s World Cup.
Antwerp pay the penalty of learning Champions League lessons the hard way
By Samindra Kunti in Antwerp
October 5 – On a night of high and low emotions in the Champions League, Newcastle United spectacularly overcame star-studded PSG 4-1 at an electric St James Park, while Belgian champions Antwerp failed to win their first-ever UCL match after giving away a two-goal lead on home soil in a 3-2 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine.
Birkbeck and Football Benchmark debut special course in football management and finance
October 5 – Specialist football financial research and advisory group Football Benchmark is collaborating with London’s Birkbeck University to launch a special course in football management and finance.