Sobaclieu.com - For the Business of Football

Costly sackings prove how important Champions League is to Manchester United

February 20 – The decision to sack manager Erik ten Hag, his staff and sporting director Dan Ashworth cost Manchester United £14.5 million in compensation, the club revealed when announcing their latest financial results.

Ten Hag lost his job on October 28, just three months after being handed a one-year contract extension following months of uncertainty over his future, and after an FA Cup Final win against Manchester City the previous May, which secured Europa League qualification.

Sponsorship

Coca-Cola makes Powerade move in US in bid to regain market share from Gatorade

MLS and Coca-cola

February 20 – Coca-Cola has confirmed it will replace BodyArmor with Powerade as the official sports drink of Major League Soccer (MLS) and U.S. Soccer. The beverage giant, a long-standing partner of football’s biggest tournaments, is backing Powerade’s resurgence to attract younger consumers while aiming to wrestle back market share from Gatorade.

Europe

Real Madrid’s Bellingham escapes with two-match ban for ‘disrespecting’ referee

February 20 – Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham has been banned for two domestic games for “disrespect” to the referee who sent him off at Osasuna, but avoided a longer ban for allegedly swearing at the official.

Africa

Unopposed Kamanga to serve third term as Zambian FA president

February 20 – Andrew Kamanga has been re-elected for a four-year term as president of the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) after running unopposed.

Champions League

Mbappé brilliance earns Real Madrid Champions League last-16 berth

February 20 – Kylian Mbappé notched a sumptuous hattrick in Real Madrid’s 3-1 second leg win over Manchester City on Wednesday evening to secure the Spanish giants berth in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) round of 16.

Europe

Lokomotiv Plovdiv must play four games behind closed doors for delegate attack

February 20 – The Bulgarian Football Union’s (BFU) Disciplinary Committee has ordered Lokomotiv Plovdiv to play four matches behind closed doors and to partially close their stands for one game after their ultras attacked a match delegate last weekend.

Concacaf

LAFC’s Giroud becomes latest high-profile sports star to have home burgled

Olivier Giroud_August_30

February 20 – High-profile sports stars are increasingly targets for burglars and LAFC striker Oliver Giroud is the latest victim, as he lost approximately $500,000 worth of jewellery when his Los Angeles home was burgled earlier this month.

Concacaf

Inter Miami’s snow day in Kansas pushes Messi’s MLS start into primetime

February 20 – Major League Soccer (MLS) Supporter’s Shield holders, Inter Miami, were due to kick off the defence of their crown on Saturday at 2.30pm EST at their home, Chase Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Kick-off has now been moved to 7.30pm EST to allow Lionel Messi and Co a few extra hours of recovery.

Europe

Germans shortlist an initial 11 host cities for 2029 Women’s Euros bid

February 19 – The German FA (DFB) has shortlisted 11 host cities for the country’s bid for the women’s European Championship in 2029.

Berlin, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Gelsenkirchen, Hanover, Cologne, Leipzig, Munich, Rostock and Wolfsburg made the final cut. The DFB rejected applications from Hamburg, Essen and Bremen.

Legal

Mbappe pursuit of another €55m off PSG fails to win support of French federation

February 19 – Kylian Mbappe appears to have suffered another setback in his legal battle with Paris St Germain after the French Football Federation opted not to hear an appeal from the player against his former club from whom he is demanding €55 million.

WWC 2027

FIFA starts Brazilian site visits in prep for 2027 Women’s World Cup

February 19 – With two years until the 2027 Women’s World Cup, FIFA has conducted inspections in Brazil to identify training sites and hotels for the tournament.

Everton christen Bramley-Moore Docks stadium with test event

February 19 – Everton finally opened their brand-new stadium at Bramley-Moore Docks on Monday evening with a test event featuring 10,000 lucky Toffee fans and the U18’s of the club versus Wigan.

Competitions

Brugge breeze past Europa League champions Atalanta to book last 16 UCL slot

February 19 –Club Brugge stunned Serie A’s Atalanta Bergamo 3-1 to progress to the last 16 of the Champions League 5-2 on aggregate.

Finance

Vinicius consortium buys Liga Portugal 2 side Alverca

February 19 – Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. has taken his influence beyond the pitch, spearheading a consortium of Spanish and Brazilian investors to acquire Liga Portugal 2 side Alverca. The Brazilian winger now reportedly owns between 70-80% of the club’s shares, as former owner Ricardo Vicintin sells up.

Federations

US Girl’s Academy launches two tier development league for elite clubs

February 19 – Women’s and girl’s youth soccer continues to be the fastest growing sector in the sport of soccer in the United States. With many different pathways available it is sometimes confusing to know which route to take, however, today the pathway is starting to look a little clearer.