Fifa and Infantino at centre of escalating row among Asian football chiefs Sport Business The war of words in Asian football over the future of Fifa president Gianni Infantino has escalated further after regional chiefs turned on critic Prince Ali bin Hussein of Jordan. Asia has become a key battleground for Infantino as he looks to extend his decade-long tenure at next year’s elections despite a widespread backlash to [...]
Major Chinese brands drop Mbappe over Chairman Mao meme jokes Sport Business Two major Chinese sponsors of Kylian Mbappe have dropped their support for the footballer after the Frenchman made jokes about Chairman Mao Zedong. Dairy producer Mengniu and drinks firm Dongpeng have dropped the Ballon d’Or runner-up after he reportedly told French TV a meme “that makes me laugh the most…the one where there’s a video [...]
Fifa election twist as Prince Ali drops ‘coercion, threats and bribes’ claim Sport Business Infighting in Asia over the future of Fifa has taken a fresh twist after Prince Ali bin Hussein of Jordan appeared to retract claims of “coercion, threats” and “bribes”. Prince Ali spoke out in a social media post on Sunday, days after the head of the Asian Football Confederation, Bahrain’s Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al [...]
Sheikh Mansour doubles down on Manchester City with £100m injection despite legal row October 26, 2026 Sheikh Mansour has reaffirmed his commitment to City Football Group despite Manchester City’s ongoing legal battle with the Premier League by investing a further £100m. Filings at Companies House show that 11,327,163 new shares in CFG were allotted on 14 October, raising the nine-figure sum. A spokesperson for CFG confirmed to City AM that the [...]
Budget 2026: Will Chancellor help or hinder football finances? October 26, 2026 While the Autumn Budget always prompts speculation in finance, hospitality or retail, its impact on football should not be underestimated. Clubs are still reckoning with the impact of the previous new measures in recent Budget announcements, with even more shortly on their way. At a time when the books of England’s biggest clubs are under [...]
Fifa’s disciplinary rules have changed: What clubs, players and agents need to know now October 24, 2026 Amendments to Fifa’s Disciplinary Code from January 2027 have attracted attention, but most of the changes have already been binding for almost six months. The May 2026 edition of the Code introduced changes affecting clubs, players, agents and their advisers, while January will introduce further changes around domestic enforcement. The immediate exposure Deadlines are one [...]
Royal Antwerp: Legal bid to torch football’s homegrown quotas suffers shock defeat October 23, 2026 A bid to rip up European football’s rules on homegrown player quotas – likened to the landmark Bosman ruling – has been dismissed in a surprise move by a Belgian court. The case, brought by Royal Antwerp and former player Lior Refaelov, had been expected to be upheld after the European Court of Justice gave [...]
Top Premier League clubs to be billed £1.8m each for Independent Football Regulator October 23, 2026 Top Premier League clubs will be asked to pay almost £2m a year towards the running of the Independent Football Regulator after the watchdog published its proposed levy. The IFR’s costs will be recouped via a tax on clubs from next year, with those teams earning the most set to contribute the biggest portion of [...]
Fifa boss Infantino’s re-election bid boosted as Asian chiefs complete spectacular climbdown October 23, 2026 Asian football chiefs have U-turned and backed Fifa president Gianni Infantino for re-election just weeks after accusing him of “a fundamental breach of trust”. The move is another nail in the coffin of the bid to oust Infantino over his secret World Cup sell-off plan and leaves European governing body Uefa increasingly isolated in opposition. [...]
Bayern Munich valued at £3.1bn as German energy giant buys stake in Harry Kane’s club October 22, 2026 German football giants Bayern Munich have been valued at £3.1bn after taking minority investment from long-standing sponsor Viessmann Generations Group. Viessmann Generations Group has acquired 6.7 per cent of Bayern Munich AG, the commercial entity that houses the professional club and all its business operations, in a transaction local media reported as being worth €250m [...]