Arsenal’s misfiring bad boy Aubameyang stripped of captaincy and dropped from squad
December 15 – Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been stripped of the club captaincy for disciplinary reasons.
Popal, Mata and DFB to receive UEFA #EqualGame Awards
December 15 – Khalida Popal, Juan Mata and the German Football Association (DFB) will all receive UEFA #EqualGame Awards this week to celebrate their work in promoting inclusion and diversity in football.
German clubs set sustainability agenda, voting to make them part of licensing criteria
December 15 – Germany’s 36 Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 clubs have voted for the inclusion of mandatory sustainability criteria in their licensing regulations.
eMLS builds to 27 teams and presses the button on return to live events for 2022 season
December 15 – The MLS esports league, eMLS, has released detail of its 2022 season which will feature all 27 MLS teams and a return to live events with three marquee tournaments hosted in-person at MLS stadiums.
Covid surge forces Brentford vs Man Utd off as positive tests rise across Premier League
By Andrew Warshaw
December 14 – Fears that English football could be heading back into another period of Covid-induced chaos have heightened after Manchester United’s match against Brentford tonight became the latest top-flight fixture to be called off as the Premier League reported its highest weekly rate of infections.
Aussie pro-leagues take on $100m Silver Lake investment
By Paul Nicholson
December 14 – The newly formed Australian Professional Leagues (APL), operators of the men’s A-League and women’s W-League, has sold a 33% stake to US investor Silver Lake for an estimated $100 million.
Real Madrid fury at Champions League redraw and PSG pairing
December 14 – Real Madrid have slammed Monday’s farcical Champions League last-16 re-draw that saw them end up with a nightmare heavyweight clash against Paris Saint-Germain.
Italian police swoop on agents over alleged laundering of transfer fees
December 14 – Italian prosecutors are reported to be investigating football agents Abdilgafar Ramadani and Pietro Chiodi over alleged tax evasion and money laundering.
CVC fund-raising completed, LaLiga secures €4.95bn domestic TV deal
December 14 – La Liga has sold its domestic broadcast rights to Movistar, DAZN for €4.95 billion for five seasons, the league said in a statement.
FIFA revamps flatlining sponsorship offer
By David Owen
December 13 – FIFA is restructuring its sponsorship offer to enable brands to associate themselves specifically with the governing body’s women’s football and e-sports competitions.
Juve mine gold bar merchandise deal with Aurora, no irony intended
December 14 – Juventus has teamed up with jewellery brand Aurora. The deal will give Aurora more exposure in the Italian market.
Brentford structures Steelo partnership around community initiative
December 14 – Premier League newcomers Brentford have signed structural steel fabrication company, Steelo, as an Official Club Partner until the end of 2023/24 season.
Bad luck of the redraw: PSG get Real Madrid, Liverpool face Inter
December 13 – There is no question about the match-up of the round following the draw for the last 16 of the Champions League – but it wasn’t the original tie!
Man Utd vs PSG, Ronaldo vs Messi…bit of a balls up forces UEFA redraw
December 13 – There was no question about the match-up of the round when the draw was made today for the last 16 of the Champions League – only for the entire process to be declared null and void minutes later in a major embarrassment for UEFA.
Arab Cup: Qatar glide past UAE to join Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria in semis
By Samindra Kunti in Doha
December 11 – Hosts Qatar stormed into the last four of the Arab Cup with a thumping 5-0 victory against the United Arab Emirates. They will be the Middle East’s last representatives in the competition, with Northern African trio Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria completing the semi-final field.