The Premier League announced the "dates for both the first and final days" of the '17-18 season. A statement released on the Premier League's official Twitter account confirmed that the '17-18 season will start on Aug. 12 and end on May 13, 2018. The campaign "will therefore conclude 32 days before the World Cup gets underway in Russia" on June 14, 2018. The end date "means the league will finish a week earlier than this term." The current season is scheduled to finish on May 21 (London EVENING STANDARD, 2/7).
Scotland's three representatives in the Europa League next season will, "for the first time, begin qualifying in the first round." Scotland's UEFA coefficient "slipped from 23rd to 25th." It means that the Scottish Cup winner as well as the league's second and third-placed clubs "will kick off their European campaigns at the end of June" (BBC, 2/7).
FIFA on Tuesday "extended the ban on Chris Giwa and four other officials who have been involved in a leadership battle with the Nigeria Football Federation." FIFA said that its disciplinary committee "decided to extend the five-year ban from taking part in any kind of football-related activity on Chris Giwa and four others." The other officials banned are Muazu Suleyman, Yahaya Adama, Sani Fema and Johnson Effiong (NAIJ, 2/7).
Two men who ran a betting website connected to the FIFA video game "have been fined after pleading guilty to offences" under the U.K.'s Gambling Act. Craig Douglas, a prominent gamer known as Nepenthez, and his business partner Dylan Rigby "ran a website that let video gamers gamble virtual currency." Douglas was fined £91,000 ($113,886) and Rigby £164,000 ($205,246). It is the first time the U.K.'s gambling commission has "prosecuted people for running an unlicensed gambling website connected to a video game" (BBC, 2/7).
Real Madrid "angrily refuted suggestions" it wanted to "disregard security measures" following the postponement of the La Liga match against Celta Vigo on Sunday, "blasting contentious recent comments" made by Vigo Mayor Abel Caballero as "inappropriate" and "totally inaccurate." Caballero described the actions of Real Madrid as "inappropriate, wrong, and arrogant." Real Madrid reacted to his comments with a "strongly worded statement," which accused him of providing journalists with "inaccurate" facts (London INDEPENDENT, 2/7).
