Paul Nicholson

August 28 – UEFA has taken the first legal steps of bringing a criminal complaint against FIFA president Gianni Infantino, and potentially other FIFA executives, over its plan to sell off World Cup commercial rights. An application for an order to obtain discovery of information from FIFA (Americas) and FWC2026 US has been filed in the District Court for the Southern District of Florida. UEFA has also filed documents in a Manhattan court requesting discovery of potential evidence from private equity fund, Read more …

August 28 – AC Milan have expanded their commercial portfolio, welcoming FPG Fortune Prime Global as premium partner and official online trading partner, as the Rossoneri begin a new sporting chapter under former Manchester United head coach Rúben Amorim. The deal is FPG’s first ever collaboration with a sports brand. The international financial broker, active across more than 30 countries, gains exposure to a global Milan supporter base the club estimates at over 600 million fans. Read more …

August 28 – FC Barcelona has removed all references and cancelled a planned two-week Barça Academy summer camp scheduled to take place in the breakaway region of Northern Cyprus. The youth event, which was set to be held at Near East University in Nicosia during September for players aged 6 to 18, was pulled following diplomatic pressure and a formal intervention by the Cyprus Football Association (CFA). Working alongside UEFA, the CFA raised serious concerns with the Royal Spanish Football Federation, Read more …

August 28 – Manchester United will make a minor change to their kit for Sunday’s first home game against Ipswich Town, after inadvertently falling foul of Premier League regulations against Hull City. In United’s 2-0 opening weekend defeat to the newly promoted side, the shirt carried the Premier League badge on the right sleeve, but the left was left blank. That’s because their agreement with DXC Technology, sleeve sponsors since 2022/23, has now ended, Read more …

August 28 – FIFA has granted an Argentine Football Association request allowing Leandro Paredes, Nahuel Molina and Thiago Almada to serve suspensions arising from the World Cup final in international friendlies, significantly reducing the impact of some of the heaviest sanctions handed down after the tournament. Paredes was banned for 10 matches and fined $90,000 following the post-match brawl after Argentina’s defeat to Spain, while Molina received a seven-game suspension and the same fine. Read more …

August 28 – The qualifying route to the 2027 AFC U17 Asian Cup has been set, with 35 nations drawn into seven groups and only the section winners progressing to next May’s finals in Uzbekistan. The qualifiers will be played as centralised single round-robin tournaments between November 8 and 20, leaving little margin for error with no route through for runners-up. Indonesia headline Group A alongside hosts Myanmar, Afghanistan, the Philippines and Cambodia, Read more …

August 28 – The Premier League returned last weekend with the usual roster of packed grounds, late drama and one major opening-day upset as the new season got underway. Across the ten fixtures, 386,458 supporters passed through the turnstiles, with stadiums operating at a combined 98.66% of capacity – up from 97.91% for the opening round last season. St James’ Park provided the fullest house of the weekend, with 52,630 for Newcastle United’s meeting with Liverpool – Read more …

August 28 – More than 60 million spectators attended domestic league matches across Europe’s Big Five in 2025/26, according to a Football Benchmark report showing average crowds up 2.4% year-on-year to 34,402. The Bundesliga returned to the top of the attendance rankings at 42,308 per match, a 9.4% increase on the previous season and enough to move back ahead of the Premier League, which averaged a record 41,636 across that same period. Germany’s rise owes plenty to the make-up of the league. Read more …

August 28 – European champions Paris Saint-Germain will renew their rivalry with Manchester City while last season’s runners-up Arsenal meet Real Madrid in blockbuster fixtures in the group stages of the Champions League. On the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in Monaco, European club football’s season kick off battled for centre stage with the news that UEFA had filed discovery requests in US courts that could lead to criminal law suits against Gianni Infantino. Read more …

August 28 – Speaking on the fringes of the Champions League draw in Monaco, UEFA vice president Laura McAllister has insisted that the European confederation will “issue regime change” at FIFA. After a month of sustained pressure on FIFA boss Gianni Infantino to resign following the FFE scandal, including three US court filings for discovery that could lead to criminal action against the Swiss-Italian football official, McAllister was firm on the way out of the current governance crisis engulfing world football. Read more …