Global diary
Stories from the four corners of the football world
Thursday December 3
SWITZERLAND: Albanian capital Tirana is chosen to host the first final of the UEFA Conference League when it launches in the 2021-22 season. The Nations League draw pits Spain against hosts Italy in one semi-final, and France v Belgium in the other.
CANADA: For the second time in three years, Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies is named the 2020 Canadian Player of the Year.
EUROPE: In the Europa League, Tottenham Hotspur draw 3-3 in a thriller with LASK, Celtic lose 4-2 to Milan, Arsenal thrash Rapid Vienna 4-1 and Rangers edge out Standard Liege 3-2, while Leicester City go down 1-0 to Zorya Luhansk in Ukraine.
NETHERLANDS: Former Everton and Real Madrid winger Royston Drenthe is declared bankrupt.
Friday December 4
FIFA: FIFA agree to delay the new 24-team Club World Cup by a year, meaning that the 2021 tournament will continue to stick to the seven-team format, with Japan set to be the hosts.
ITALY: Napoli’s stadium is officially renamed the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
Saturday December 5
GERMANY: Bayern Munich draw 3-3 with RB Leipzig in a key clash at the top of the Bundesliga table.
ITALY: Juventus come from behind to beat Torino 2-1 in the Turin derby, thanks to a last-gasp goal by defender Leonardo Bonucci.
SPAIN: Cadiz stun Barcelona with a 2-1 La Liga victory, their first over the Catalan side since 1991, to move up to fifth in the table.
FRANCE: Kylian Mbappe scores his 100th goal for Paris SaintGermain in a 3-1 victory over European hopefuls Montpellier.
SINGAPORE: Albirex Niigata S win the Singapore Premier League title for the fourth time.
EGYPT: Al Ahly complete a Champions League, Premier League and domestic cup treble for the first time since 2006 after beating Tala’ea El Gaish in the Egypt Cup final on penalties.
Sunday December 6
ENGLAND: In the Premier
League, Tottenham Hotspur pile the pressure on Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta by winning the North London derby 2-0.
ITALY: A 2-1 win at Sampdoria helps Milan extend their impressive form to eight wins in ten games, their best start since 1954-55.
Monday December 7
COLOMBIA: Former Porto, Atletico Madrid and Colombia striker Jackson Martinez announces his retirement.
Tuesday December 8
FIFA: Qatar will join Europe’s qualifying Group A noncompetitively, in order to prepare for hosting the 2022 World Cup.
EUROPE: PSG and Istanbul Basaksehir walk off the pitch during their Champions League match in protest after the fourth official is accused of using racist language. Manchester United are eliminated after a 3-2 defeat to RB Leipzig, while Juventus win 3-0 at the Nou Camp thanks to a brace from Cristiano Ronaldo.
LIBYA: Ali Mergini resigns as coach of the Libyan national team.
Wednesday December 9
EUROPE: Monchengladbach reach the Champions League knockout stages in spite of a 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid while PSG win their rearranged clash with
Istanbul Basaksehir 5-1.
SOUTH KOREA: K League outfit FC Seoul name former South Korea international Park Jin-sub as their new head coach.
TURKMENISTAN: Altyn Asyr win the Turkmenistan Cup, defeating Kopetdag Ashgabat 3-0 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the final.
Thursday December 10
BRAZIL: CAS rule Santos will have to pay €2.9m to Barcelona due to a breach of contract over Gabriel Barbosa. The Catalan side had first refusal on the Brazilian as part of the deal that brought Neymar to the Nou Camp, yet they were not informed when Internazionale made an offer for the striker.
EUROPE: The Europa League tie between Villarreal and Qarabag is postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the Azerbaijani team’s squad. Meanwhile, the Under-21 European Championship draw takes place, with Netherlands drawn alongside arch-rivals Germany in Group A.
FRANCE: Antoine Griezmann cuts ties with Huawei due to China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims.
ITALY: Brazilian forward Robinho has his nine-year prison sentence confirmed by an Italian court.
Friday December 11
HAITI: FIFA announce that they will send an emergency management team to run football in Haiti, with Yves Jean-Bart believed to still be running the show despite his ban last month.
EUROPE: Ukraine ask UEFA to draw lots to decide the result of their cancelled Nations League clash with Switzerland.
Saturday December 12
ITALY: Paolo Rossi’s funeral takes place in Vicenza, but sadly his house is burgled while his wife is in attendance.
BRAZIL: Fluminense legend Escurinho dies aged 90.
SOUTH AFRICA: Motjeka Madisha, defender for Mamelodi Sundowns and South Africa, dies in a car crash – just weeks after Anele Ngcongca.
SPAIN: Real Madrid beat rivals Atletico 2-0 in the Madrid derby, closing the gap between them to just three points.
Sunday December 13
NETHERLANDS: Ajax forward
Quincy Promes is arrested on suspicion of being involved in an alleged stabbing, a charge that he denies.
ITALY: Cristiano Ronaldo marks his 100th game for Juventus with a double against Genoa, taking his goal tally for the Italians to 79.
CROATIA: Former Austria, Croatia, Albania, Stuttgart and Fenerbahce coach Otto Baric dies aged 87.
Monday December 14
UEFA: The draws for the Champions League and Europa League knockout round is made with PSG v Barcelona, Atletico Madrid v Chelsea, Real Sociedad v Manchester United and Benfica v Arsenal the most eye-catching ties.
MEXICO: Leon beat Pumas UNAM 2-0 (3-1 on aggregate) in the Guardianes 2020 LigaMX final.
UAE: Dutchman Bert van Marwijk is reappointed as head coach of the United Arab Emirates’ national team – a year after he was sacked.
COLOMBIA: Santa Fe are crowned champions of the Liga Femenina for the second time after beating America de Cali 4-1 on aggregate.
Tuesday December 15
ENGLAND: Manchester City are held to a draw by West Bromwich Albion in Slaven Bilic’s final game in charge. Elsewhere, Chelsea lose 2-1 to Wolverhampton Wanderers, while midfielder Danny Drinkwater is sent off for violent conduct in an Under-23s game.
Wednesday December 16
IFAB: It is announced that concussion substitutes will be trialled in 2020.
JAPAN: Vissel Kobe midfielder Andres Iniesta is ruled out of action for four months following a muscle tear, putting his long-term future in doubt.
KUWAIT: Kuwait SC add more silverware to their trophy cabinet after beating Al Arabi 1-0 in the Kuwait Super Cup at the Jaber Al Ahmad International Stadium.
UAE: Seven-time United Arab Emirates Pro League champions Shabab Al Ahli Dubai announce the return of former coach Mahdi Ali to replace departing boss Gerard Zaragoza.
ENGLAND: Liverpool beat Tottenham in a top-of-the-table Premier League clash thanks to a stoppage-time header from Brazil striker Roberto Firmino.
GERMANY: Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski scores the 250th goal of his Bundesliga career with a brace in a 2-1 victory over Wolfsburg.
Thursday December 17
RUSSIA: The nation’s ban from all major sporting events after a doping scandal is reduced from four years to two by CAS.
Friday December 18
USA: Weston McKennie is named US Soccer Male Player of the Year ahead of Christian Pulisic and Sergino Dest. Samantha Mewis is named the Female Player of the Year, while Gio Reyna wins Young Player of the Year.
GERMANY: Youssoufa Moukoko becomes the Bundesliga’s youngest-ever goalscorer by scoring in Borussia Dortmund’s 2-1 defeat to Union Berlin.
AUSTRALIA: A-League side Melbourne Victory announce the signing of former Premier League defender Ryan Shotton.
Saturday December 19
ENGLAND: Liverpool thrash Crystal Palace 7-0 at Selhurst Park. Their nearest rivals Everton also win, beating Arsenal 2-1 at Goodison Park, while Manchester City win 1-0 at Southampton.
GERMANY: Bayern Munich come from behind to beat rivals Bayer Leverkusen 2-1. Robert Lewandowski’s brace ensured he ended 2020 with 47 goals in just 44 games and helped Bayern usurp Leverkusen in top spot.
CHINA: Shandong Luneng beat Chinese Super League champions Jiangsu Suning 2-0 in the final of the Chinese FA Cup, denying Cosmin Olaroiu’s team a league and cup double.
Sunday December 20
SCOTLAND: Celtic win the postponed 2020 Scottish FA Cup final against Hearts on penalties, sealing an unprecedented fourth domestic treble in a row.
ITALY: Milan’s Rafael Leao scores the fastest goal in Serie A history after just six seconds in a 2-1 win over top-four rivals Sassuolo.
Monday December 21
ENGLAND: Fabio Silva becomes Wolves’ youngest goalscorer, and replaces Cristiano Ronaldo as the youngest Portuguese player to score in the Premier League.
AWARDS
Player of the Year/Top Scorer
MICHAEL OLUNGA (Kashiwa)
The Kenyan striker was runaway top scorer with 28 goals. Tall, quick and deft on the ground, his impact was strongly reminiscent of Patrick Mboma’s for Gamba Osaka in 1997.
(Kawasaki Frontale) In only his fourth season as a manager, Oniki became the third man to win three J.League titles as coach following Oswaldo Oliveira (Kashima Antlers) and Hajime Moriyasu (Sanfrecce Hiroshima). Manager of the Year TSUNEYASU MIYAMOTO (Gamba Osaka)
The former Gamba and Japan defender lifted Gamba to second in the table in his third year in charge.
Champion Manager TORU ONIKI
Best Young Player
AYUMU SEKO (Cerezo Osaka) After three seasons playing for Cerezo’s Under-23 team in the J.League Third Division, the tall, 20-year-old centre-back emerged as a key figure for Cerezo’s top team this year.
WSL: Japan captain Mana Iwabuchi joins Women’s Super League side Aston Villa, while US World Cup winner Alex Morgan confirms that she will leave Tottenham and return home.
USA: Former USA midfielder Kyle Beckerman announces his retirement after 21 MLS seasons and a record 498 matches.
Tuesday December 22
SWITZERLAND: FIFA files a criminal complaint against former president Sepp Blatter over the finances of its loss-making soccer museum in Zurich.
SPAIN: Atletico Madrid secure an important victory at third-placed Real Sociedad, winning 2-0 in San Sebastian. Lionel Messi breaks Pele’s record of goals for a single club, moving onto 644, while Real Madrid announce the return of Iker Casillas to the Bernabeu as the club’s Foundation deputy CEO.
ENGLAND: Championship side Brentford knock Newcastle United out of the Carabao Cup quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory, while Arsenal are thumped 4-1 at home by Manchester City.
FRANCE: Lille owner Gerard Lopez confirms that the Ligue 1 club is for sale.
ITALY: Juventus suffer their first defeat of the season, with Juan Cuadrado sent off in a 3-0 loss at home to Fiorentina.
CONCACAF: Confederation president Victor Montagliani announces the CONCACAF Champions League will expand in 2023.
JAPAN: Urawa Red Diamonds announce that head coach Tsuyoshi Otsuki will leave the club to be replaced by Spaniard Ricardo Rodriquez.
SOUTH KOREA: Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors announce
Kim Sang-sik will replace
Jose Morais as head coach of the K League champions.
UZBEKISTAN: Pakhtakor head coach Shota Arveladze announces his resignation from the Uzbekistan Super League champions.
TURKEY: Ozkan Sumer, former player, coach and president of Trabzonspor passes away.
Wednesday December 23
ENGLAND: Tottenham and Manchester United join Manchester City and Brentford in the Carabao Cup semi-finals
by beating Stoke City and Everton respectively.
TURKEY: Despite taking the lead, champions Istanbul Basaksehir sink further towards the bottom of the table after losing 4-1 at Fenerbahce, with two of their players also sent off.
SPAIN: Real Madrid re-join Atletico Madrid at the top of La Liga on 32 points – albeit having played two more games – by beating Granada 2-0 at home.
ITALY: Milan’s unbeaten start to the season continues with a thrilling 3-2 victory at home to
Lazio, with Theo Hernandez netting a stoppage-time winner. City rivals Inter keep the pressure up by beating Verona 2-1.
FRANCE: The Ligue 1 title race intensifies with each of the top three winning. Lille beat Montpellier 3-2, yet surrender top spot to Lyon on goal difference after their 3-0 win over Nantes. One point behind, PSG maintain the pressure with a 4-0 thrashing of Strasbourg, which proves to be Thomas Tuchel’s last game in charge of the capital club.
USA: MLS Cup winners Columbus
Crew sign two-time MLS Golden Boot winner Bradley WrightPhillips on a free transfer.
Thursday December 24
ARGENTINA: Boca Juniors beat Racing Club 2-1 on aggregate in the final quarter-final of the Copa Libertadores, joining River Plate, Palmeiras and Santos in the semi-finals of the competition.
SCOTLAND: Kilmarnock legend David Sneddon passes away.
Friday December 25
SPAIN: Antonio Gento, former
Real Madrid player and brother to club legend Paco, passes away.
Saturday December 26
URUGUAY: Central Espanol midfielder Maximiliano Pereira tragically dies while swimming by a waterfall in his home country.
ENGLAND: In the Premier League Boxing Day clashes, Arsenal end their seven-game winless run by beating Chelsea 3-1, Everton move up to second with a 1-0 victory at Sheffield United and Leicester score a late equaliser at home to top-four rivals Manchester United.
Sunday December 27
ENGLAND: Sam Allardyce collects his first point as West Brom manager, pulling off a shock 1-1 draw at Anfield, in spite of Liverpool boasting almost 90% possession in the first half.
Monday December 28
ENGLAND: Everton v Manchester City is called off due to COVID-19, with Everton seeking clarification for the postponement from The FA. Elsewhere, Crystal Palace v Leicester and Chelsea v Aston
Villa both end in 1-1 draws.
SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Pro League outfit Al Nassr announce the departure of head coach Rui Vitoria by mutual consent following a string of poor results.
Tuesday December 29
SPAIN: A Messi-less Barcelona drop more points at home, this time after a 1-1 draw with strugglers Eibar, to fall behind Sevilla who move into the top four by beating Villarreal 2-0.
ENGLAND: West Bromwich Albion are thrashed 5-0 at home by
Leeds United. Elsewhere, Arsenal seal back-to-wins by beating Brighton away, and Sheffield United’s winless run continues with a 1-0 defeat at Burnley.
Wednesday December 30
SPAIN: Atletico Madrid keep their 18th clean sheet in a row against Getafe, winning 1-0 to extend their advantage over Real Madrid, who draw 1-1 at Elche.
ENGLAND: Liverpool are held to a second draw in a row, this time at Newcastle United, while Fulham’s trip to Tottenham is postponed due to a number of coronavirus cases at the West London club.
ITALY: Mario Balotelli scores within five minutes on his debut for new club Monza.
Thursday December 31
ENGLAND: ALK Capital complete their takeover of Premier League club Burnley.
SPAIN: Real Sociedad win the Basque derby 1-0 thanks to a goal by winger Cristian Portu.
SCOTLAND: Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson resigns after three years in charge at Fir Park.