DAZN and the Ballon d’Or
8 September 2026

DAZN will broadcast the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony live and free across 200 markets worldwide. The platform will also serve as Global Gold Sponsoring Partner in the sports broadcast services and sports OTT services categories around the awards event.

The ceremony will take place in London on 26 October, with DAZN planning dedicated build-up content and special coverage. Chief executive Shay Segev said the agreement returns the Ballon d’Or to DAZN while extending its global football offering.

Michael Duff and Wycombe Wanderers
8 September 2026

Wycombe Wanderers sacked manager Michael Duff after beginning the League One season without a win in five matches and collecting three points from a possible 15. First-team coach Alex Morris also left as the club moved toward an interim appointment.

Duff had been in charge for almost a year and becomes the first managerial casualty of the season across England’s top four divisions. Wycombe said poor results stretching back to the spring convinced the club that a new direction was required.

France Football, UEFA and Ballon d’Or nominees
8 September 2026

France Football and UEFA began unveiling official 2026 Ballon d’Or award shortlists, including nominees for men’s and women’s club, coach and goalkeeper honours. Mikel Arteta, Luis de la Fuente, Unai Emery, Luis Enrique and Vincent Kompany made the men’s coaching list.

The men’s club shortlist includes Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Bodo/Glimt, Flamengo and Paris Saint-Germain, while the Yashin Trophy has 10 goalkeeper nominees. The ceremony is scheduled for 26 October in London, the first time the event will be staged there.

Liverpool and Turkish Airlines
8 September 2026

Liverpool confirmed Turkish Airlines will become their main club partner from the 2027-28 season, replacing Standard Chartered on the front of the shirt. The five-year agreement is estimated in the supplied report at more than £60 million annually.

Standard Chartered will remain with Liverpool as a global partner after 17 years as principal sponsor. Turkish Airlines will become a lead front-of-shirt sponsor for the first time, while Liverpool described the agreement as a milestone in its commercial operation.

Chelsea FC and Chelsea AI Ventures
8 September 2026

Chelsea FC’s trademark dispute with local software company Chelsea AI Ventures has ended in a compromise after the club challenged the firm’s use of the Chelsea name. The company agreed to alter its colour scheme and avoid using Chelsea by itself.

Chelsea’s intellectual property representative contacted founder Ben Auffarth in August, citing the club’s trademark portfolio and potential confusion. Auffarth’s lawyer proposed the narrower branding commitments instead of a full rebrand, and the club’s representative quickly accepted the compromise.

Shrewsbury Town and an American consortium
7 September 2026

Shrewsbury Town’s long-running takeover has moved closer to completion after an unidentified American consortium received approval from both the Independent Football Regulator and the English Football League. The League Two club is now finalising the remaining transaction documents.

Chairman Roland Wycherley put Shrewsbury up for sale in 2024, with earlier takeover attempts collapsing and supporter groups demanding answers. The club says its new owner and principal investors will be announced once documentation is completed and the transaction formally concludes.

Crvena Zvezda, Partizan and Ratko Mladic
6 September 2026

Crvena Zvezda supporters displayed a giant tifo of Ratko Mladic during a minute’s silence before Sunday’s derby with Partizan. Mladic died last month while serving a life sentence for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity from the Balkan wars.

The display followed similar Mladic banners at a European qualifier that brought Crvena Zvezda fines totalling €98,250 and an away-ticket ban from UEFA. UEFA cannot discipline the club for the domestic display, leaving any action to the Serbian Football Association.

Edu and Nottingham Forest
7 September 2026

Edu has left his position as Nottingham Forest’s global head of football after just over a year at the club. His contract is believed to have been terminated, and Forest do not expect to appoint a direct replacement for the former Arsenal sporting director.

Edu had not attended a Forest match since February and his position had been under scrutiny following a previous falling-out with Nuno Espirito Santo. Chief football officer George Syrianos will assume his responsibilities across Forest and owner Evangelos Marinakis’ wider football operation.

Barcelona
7 September 2026

Barcelona plan a new €210 million bond issue as repayments linked to the Camp Nou redevelopment begin before the stadium is fully generating expected revenue. The club also reported record operating income of €1.06 billion for 2025-26.

Half of the bond issue was placed in July at 5.14%, with the rest planned for October or November. Barcelona’s 2026-27 budget projects €1.195 billion operating revenue, while sporting costs are forecast at €636 million, around 53% of revenue.

Royal Belgian Football Association, Gianni Infantino and Folarin Balogun
7 September 2026

The Royal Belgian Football Association will not support Gianni Infantino’s 2027 FIFA re-election bid and has asked for the Folarin Balogun suspension controversy to be placed on the agenda for the next FIFA Council meeting on 15 October.

Belgium says FIFA has still not properly explained why Balogun’s mandatory World Cup ban was suspended after lobbying from Donald Trump and White House officials. The federation also cited wider transparency and governance concerns around FIFA’s abandoned investment proposal.