Inside World Football

Van Dijk ends speculation, boosts Liverpool by signing new deal

Andy Elliott — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 11:08:03 +0000

April 17 – Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has ended speculation over his future by signing a new two-year contract, extending his stay at Anfield until the summer of 2027.

The 33-year-old Dutchman had entered the final months of his previous deal, with whispers of interest from Paris Saint-Germain, but has now followed Mohamed Salah in committing to manager Arne Slot’s project.

Van Dijk, signed for £75 million from Southampton in 2018,

Man City continue to lag behind in Premier League attendance table

Andy Elliott — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 11:00:16 +0000

April 17 – Matchweek 32 in the Premier League saw stadiums filled to an impressive average of 97.98% capacity, maintaining what has become the norm for much of the season. Yet, behind the headline figure, a more nuanced picture is emerging — particularly at the Etihad.

Newcastle United led the way this weekend with an attendance figure of 99.89%, as a raucous St James’ Park crowd watched their side sweep aside Manchester United in a 4-1 victory.

CIES reveals most experienced young players

Andy Elliott — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 10:53:11 +0000

April 17 – To mark the publication of its 500th Weekly Post, the CIES Football Observatory has turned its data lens on the next generation — highlighting the young players already amassing significant match experience in senior football before even turning 24.

For this landmark edition, the spotlight falls on footballers born in 2001 or later who have played the most official senior matches in their careers to date — a measure not just of early talent,

The post CIES reveals most experienced young players appeared first on Inside World Football.

MLS bets on Kitman Labs partnership to modernise player development

Andy Elliott — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 10:13:42 +0000

April 17 – Major League Soccer has deepened its relationship with performance intelligence firm Kitman Labs in a move that could help stitch together a more coherent player development pathway across the United States and Canada — from academy level through to the first team.

The expanded partnership now spans MLS, MLS NEXT Pro, and MLS NEXT, unifying operations and player data across all three tiers under a single digital platform.

PSG extend Visit Rwanda deal despite growing concerns

Andy Elliott — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 10:10:18 +0000

April 17 – Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Visit Rwanda have extended their partnership until 2028 despite growing concern over the actions of Paul Kagame’s regime.

On Wednesday, the French champions said they had renewed their sponsorship deal with the tourism-focused arm of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) which has partnered with PSG since 2019.

Jean-Guy Afrika, CEO of the RDB, highlighted the partnership’s impact, stating: “This collaboration has contributed significantly to positioning Rwanda as a beacon for talent,

Club Leon boss slams FIFA and Infantino over Club World Cup

Andy Elliott — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 10:05:44 +0000

April 17 – Club Leon manager Eduardo Berizzo has blasted FIFA and its President Gianni Infantino over his side’s exclusion from the Club World Cup because of multiple-club ownership rules.

In March, Zurich ruled that Leon were not eligible to play in the inaugural 32-team competition after failing to meet FIFA’s multi-club ownership criteria, and Infantino has since offered up their spot in a playoff match between Club America and Los Angeles FC.

FIFA hails ‘one million volunteers’ on revamped programme

Andy Elliott — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 09:39:23 +0000

April 17 – FIFA says its revamped volunteer programme has now passed the one million mark since its launch in December 2020. However, while the organisation celebrates growing numbers, the reality on the ground in some host cities paints a more complex picture.

The milestone was marked with a photo op in Atlanta, where FIFA President Gianni Infantino met Craig Collins — officially dubbed the one millionth FIFA World Cup volunteer.

Arsenal show maturity to march into Champions League semi-finals

Andy Elliott — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 09:11:13 +0000

April 17 – With an outstanding away performance and a late Gabriel Martinelli strike, Arsenal defeated Real Madrid 2-1 to eliminate the European champions 5-1 on aggregate from the Champions League.

All week Real Madrid and its players had talked of a ‘remontada’ but with a mature and calculated attitude, Arsenal proved there was no coming back from a first-leg 3-0 defeat. It was a different performance from Mikel Arteta’s team –

Levski Sofia announce two-year NostroLux deal

Andy Elliott — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 08:45:06 +0000

April 17 – Bulgaria’s Levski Sofia has signed a two-year sponsorship agreement with the online retail company NostroLux. The agreement will come into effect in August this year, when the new season starts in Bulgaria.

According to the contract, NostroLux, through its website Nostro.bg, becomes the general sponsor of Levski’s Academy. The logo of Levski’s new sponsor will be placed on the kits of the Under 14-Under 17 Levski teams.

“PFC Levski is proud to announce that nostro.bg is the new general sponsor of Levski Academy.

The post Levski Sofia announce two-year NostroLux deal appeared first on Inside World Football.

Villarreal CF expands youth soccer presence with New Idaho Academy

Andy Elliott — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 08:32:31 +0000

April 17 – Spain’s Villarreal CF continues its quiet infiltration of the US youth soccer market with the opening of an academy in Hailey, Idaho—marking the club’s 14th affiliated academy in North America.

This new academy aims to further expand the renowned Villarreal methodology throughout the country’s developing soccer landscape.

The Idaho Academy will open its doors between June 2-5, beginning the talent identification process. These sessions will be led by Villarreal-affiliated coaches,

Tevez plots one last Messi v Ronaldo showdown

Andy Elliott — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 08:21:55 +0000

April 17 – Former Argentine great Carlos Tevez is planning his farewell game in Buenos Aires, and hopes to include former teammates Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

His plan is to play his final match at Boca Juniors’ home ground, La Bombonera. Regarding this potential meeting of football royalty, Tevez told streaming platform Olga, “Yes, I’m going to do it [farewell game]. I probably will do it. We just have to figure out when.

The post Tevez plots one last Messi v Ronaldo showdown appeared first on Inside World Football.

Barcelona to go “Sicko Mode” with Travis Scott

Andy Elliott — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 08:10:34 +0000

April 17 – FC Barcelona’s sponsorship with music streaming giant Spotify continues to blend football with music, with the upcoming El Clasico against Real Madrid on May 11 seeing the club feature Travis Scott branding on their iconic Blaugrana shirt.

The limited-edition jersey will replace the standard Spotify logo with elements connected to the American rap superstar, creating the marketing synergy that connects global music with world football. While the final design remains undecided,

Union Berlin promise football that puts you to sleep

Andy Elliott — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 07:48:06 +0000

April 17 – FC Union Berlin’s main sponsor HomeToGo has dreamed up a novel way for supporters to spend more time at their beloved Stadion An der Alten Försterei – by letting them literally spend the night there.

Dubbed “Stadionnächte by HomeToGo,” this unique promotion will allow selected fans to enjoy pitch-side accommodation during two special weekends in May.

The campaign cleverly connects HomeToGo’s core business of vacation rentals with the growing market for football tourism.

AFC calls on FIFA to speed up ruling on Palestine’s Israeli complaint, filed a year ago

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 07:27:42 +0000

April 16 – The Asian Football Confederation has again expressed unity in its support for the Palestine FA and called for FIFA to respond swiftly to the complaint against the Israeli FA (IFA) calling for it to be sanctioned with a suspension.

The PFA’s complaint covers the IFA’s support for military action in Gaza and the West Bank, the allowing of six clubs from illegally built settlements on West Bank land to participate in local competitions,

Brazil’s CBF extends Sportradar deal in battle against match-fixing

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 05:48:01 +0000

April 17 – With accusations of match-fixing now commonplace in the Brazilian club game, the Brazilian FA (CBF) has extended its integrity partnership with Sportradar Integrity & Regulatory Services, in a bid to enhance efforts to combat match-fixing in Brazilian football.

Sportradar’s Universal Fraud Detection System (UFDS), will deliver integrity monitoring for more than 8,200 men’s and women’s matches covering all Brazilian national championships.

Ednaldo Rodrigues, president of the CBF: “Strengthening the integrity of Brazilian football is a priority for this administration,

DAZN pulls out of €1.6bn LFP contract mediation leaving clubs facing financial disaster

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 13:16:56 +0000

April 16 – French football is once again teetering on the brink of a financial crisis after domestic media partner DAZN rejected a compromise to end the Ligue 1 broadcast deal.

During a meeting held by the LFP on April 15, Ligue 1’s board of directors agreed to end the contract at the end of the current campaign following intervention by a mediator, who recommended a compromise that would have seen the streaming platform pay the full amount it owes for this season,