Arab nations rally behind Infantino, leaving Uefa isolated in bid to oust Fifa president Sport Business Fifa president Gianni Infantino has received a major boost to his hopes of re-election after the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA) gave him its firm backing. The move, announced by UAFA following a meeting of its directors this week, is significant as it further weakens the coalition of Europe, North America and the Caribbean, [...]
Fifpro demands Fifa Council probe amid Infantino World Cup sell-off row Sport Business Global footballers’ union Fifpro has called for an independent review of the Fifa Council’s powers after it was apparently sidelined by Gianni Infantino’s World Cup sell-off plan. The call comes in a communique issued as it published new research showing that the vast majority of value created at this year’s World Cup derived from Europe. [...]
Royal Antwerp case shows European sport ought to copy US interventionist approach Sport Business Football fans digesting doom-laden commentary on the Royal Antwerp FC case on the legality of Uefa’s homegrown player regulations may be forgiven for recalling Brenda from Bristol’s reaction to the calling of general elections: “What, another one?” In recent years, legal challenges before European and national courts have sought to strike down various football regulations, [...]
Royal Antwerp: ‘New Bosman’ set to torch Uefa rules and spark mega class action September 10, 2026 European football faces an imminent legal bombshell likened to the Bosman Ruling that could scrap quotas for homegrown players and leave Uefa facing a hugely costly class action. The Royal Antwerp ruling has major implications for Uefa nations, potentially including England, who require clubs to have a minimum number of nationally-trained players, as well as [...]
Champions League: Is the rise of the superclubs becoming a problem? September 8, 2026 Eight clubs in this year’s Champions League have a massive financial advantage over the rest but, with TV and commercial revenue increasing, should Uefa be worried? The Champions League kicks off in earnest this evening with a low-key fixture between AEK Athens and Austrian side LASK, the kind that, for most neutrals, could only be [...]
Belgian FA ‘cannot back’ Infantino amid World Cup and Balogun ‘transparency’ concerns September 7, 2026 Belgium’s FA has vowed to oppose Gianni Infantino’s bid for re-election as Fifa president, in part because it remains unhappy at the handling of the Folarin Balogun incident. Infantino confirmed at the weekend that he intends to stand again in March despite a furious backlash to his now-abandoned plans to partially privatise the World Cup. [...]
Strauss becomes first dedicated Champions League referee sponsor September 4, 2026 Champions League referees will sport sleeve patches advertising workwear brand Strauss after the German company became Uefa’s first ever refereeing sponsor. The three-year deal, announced today, will take effect when the competition’s league phase, involving Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United, begins next week. The Strauss partnership also covers the Women’s Champions [...]
Just Eat slashes sponsorship team as it axes £40m Champions League deal a year early September 4, 2026 Just Eat’s premature exit from its £40m-a-year Champions League partnership has coincided with the takeaway platform gutting its sponsorship department, City AM has learned. European football chiefs have been forced to bring forward the start of a partnership with Hyundai in place of Just Eat after it opted to terminate its Champions League deal a [...]
Are financial rules fuelling the Premier League’s record transfer spending? September 3, 2026 Premier League football’s financial regulations may have been designed to control transfer spending but they actually incentivise it, argues Danny Hill. Premier League clubs spent a record £3.46bn this summer. Around 38 per cent of deals were between Premier League clubs, up from 30 per cent last year, according to Reuters. The obvious explanations are [...]
Fifa crisis shows that fans must get a say in who succeeds Infantino as president August 29, 2026 Gianni Infantino has inadvertently shown fans that the Fifa president matters, so maybe we should rethink how we elect one, argues Matt Readman. A year ago, I wrote an article arguing that the role of a sports leader was to be a caretaker, not a king. The warning was simple: make the story about yourself and [...]