July 22 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has signed a new main sponsor for its top 10 club and national team competitions for the next eight years. The new deal with French oil and gas company Total will begin with the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Gabon.
By Paul Nicholson
July 21 – English Premier League fans are getting ripped off when it comes to buying tickets, compared to their continental neighbours. The findings come via an analysis by KPMG’s Football Benchmark team which show Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid give the best value for money in Europe’s football elite.
July 20 – Manchester United, in China for pre-season matches against Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City as part of the International Champions Cup, have taken the opportunity to reinforce both their commitment to China and to new sponsor partner Gulf Oil, at an event in Shanghai.
July 20 – Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur have announced Korean manufacturer Kumho Tyre as the club’s Official Tyre Partner in a two-year sponsorship that starts with the 2016/17 season.
July 18 – Premier League Manchester United, about to embark on a money-making tour to China with their big spending manager Jose Mourinho, have announced a partnership with Virgin Money who will become the club’s Official Retail Financial Services Partner in the UK.
July 15 – Spain’s La Liga has added watchmaker Tag Heuer as the league’s official timekeeping partner. La Liga is the latest premium league property to be added to the firm’s sponsorship roster, having added England’s Premier League in April.
July 14 – Nike’s summer of success has continued with the unveiling of its Ordem 4 ball as the Official Match Ball for the 2016/17 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League.
July 13 – Premier League Crystal Palace, currently on pre-season tour in the US, will have their second of three friendly matches streamed live on Facebook.
July 12 – Barcelona have stepped up their support for under-fire superstar Lionel Messi by saying he will not be transferred and has been discredited by the Spanish judicial authorities.
July 12 – Spanish giant Barcelona have announced a new mobile game that is in development with Hugo Games, an interactive entertainment developer and publisher.
July 12 – French champions Paris St-Germain, who are heading to the US for pre-season International Champions Cup matches this month, have announced they will open a pop-up shop in Los Angeles with Parisian boutique Colette.
July 11 – Being a convicted tax fraud with a custodial sentence hanging over your head is bad for business, just ask Lionel Messi and his father Jorge. The FIFA, Argentina, and Barcelona golden boy – winner of five Ballon d’Or world player of the year awards – has been dropped from the cover of the upcoming FIFA 17 video game packaging.
July 11 – In the battle of the appareil brands US firm Nike is claiming major summer success over its European rival adidas at both the Copa America Centenario and the European Championships.
July 8 – Car manufacturer Nissan has expanded its football media sponsorship as the weekend sponsor of Sky Sports’ Premier League action in a three-year partnership.
By David Owen
July 8 – We will have to wait and see whether hosts France or Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal lift the European Championship trophy at the Stade de France on Sunday. But we can already say with absolute clarity that the US mark Nike has won Euro 2016’s Battle of the Brands.