German court rules clubs must cover costs of match-day policing
January 14 – In a landmark ruling, a German court has established that football can be billed for the costs of policing during high-risk matches.
News
More trouble at Barca as dealmaker Guiu exits over Nike differences
January 14 – Despite winning the Supercopa in Saudi Arabia beating their El Classico rivals, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona still have more than their fair share of backroom drama. A key Barca management figure, vice president Juli Guiu has resigned, effective immediately.
German FA renews Coca-Cola sponsorship and styles up with Marc O’Polo fashion brand
January 1 – The German Football Association (DFB) has unveiled a new multi-year partnership with Scandinavian clothing brand Marc O’Polo, naming it the official fashion partner for its men’s and women’s senior and under-21 national teams.
Saudi fans harass Mallorca players’ wives leaving King Adbullah Sports City stadium
January 13 – The wives of Mallorca players have said they were harassed after the club’s Spanish Super Cup game in Saudi Arabia.
UEFA reaches out to sister confederations with Together development programme
January 13 – UEFA has announced the launch of a new international initiative, UEFA Together, aimed at fostering the development of football worldwide via partnerships with its sister confederations and their national federations.
FA Cup drama sees Spurs struggle past Tamworth and 10-man Man Utd out-gun Arsenal on penalties
January 13 – They came close to abject humiliation in what would have been one of the greatest FA Cup upsets of all time.
Barca hammer Real Madrid to win Spanish Super Cup in Saudi
January 13 – Not many neutrals saw this coming given the respective form of the two teams.
Turkish federation says foreign VAR officials will be drafted in for rest of SuperLig season
January 13 – The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has taken urgent measures following criticisms of refereeing in its Super League, with Fenerbahce coach Jose Mourinho having been in the vanguard of the fury.
Serie A clubs keep faith in De Siervio’s commercial leadership
January 13 – Luigi De Siervo has been re-elected as chief executive of Serie A, securing strong backing from the league’s 20 clubs despite controversies surrounding recent media rights sales and the hosting of the Supercoppa Italiana in Saudi Arabia.
Spanish sports council grants Barca permission to register Olmo and Victor
January 9 – Spain’s national sports council (CSD) has granted Barcelona provisional permission to register Dani Olmo (pictured) and Pau Victor, following an appeal by the club after earlier rejections from La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
Rich get richer as Spanish Super Cup opens with a Barca win
January 9 – The Spanish Super Cup, being played in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, opened with a 2-0 win for Barcelona over Athletic Club with goals by Gavi and Lamine Yamal, against a backdrop of protests against the unequal distribution of tournament revenue to clubs.
Dortmund agree youth development partnership with neighbouring VfB Waltrop
January 7 – Germany is renowned for its youth development programmes, and that is set to continue after Borussia Dortmund announced a new partnership between its Nachwuchsleistungszentrum (Youth Academy) and VfB Waltrop.
Benfica’s Estádio da Luz to expand to 70,000 ahead of 2030 World Cup
January 7 – Benfica Football Club has announced ambitious plans to expand their iconic stadium in Lisbon to a 70,000-seat capacity.
Slavia Sofia president fires team captain for meddling in coach’s business
January 6 – Ventseslav Stefanov (pictured), the president of Bulgaria’s oldest club Slavia Sofia, has terminated the contract of the team’s captain and former Bulgarian international, Galin Ivanov.
Despite not being registered, Olmo says he wants to remain at Barca
January 3 – Barcelona star Dani Olmo has denied, via his agent, of any ongoing transfer talks amid speculation the Euro 2024 winner could leave the Catalan club on a free transfer.