UK Sport announced an "ambitious" plan to bring the Olympics back to London as early as '36. The organization's execs believe a successful bid for the Games "could help catapult Britain to surpass" the U.S. and top the Olympic medal table. The Mayor of London's office said that it would "get behind any potential bid," while the IOC insisted it was "not too soon for London to host the Games," despite the city having done so in '12 (London EVENING STANDARD, 2/26).

German athletes and their sponsors will have more opportunities to advertise during the '20 Tokyo Games following an "easing of restrictions." Advertising activities planned for during the Olympics "no longer need to be cleared" by the German Olympic Sports Confederation beforehand. The ads can also include some terms such as "medal, gold, silver, bronze, winter or summer games." While these changes apply only to German athletes, it is "expected that more athletes from other countries, especially from the European Union, will demand similar changes." The IOC "somewhat eased restrictions" at the '18 PyeongChang Games (REUTERS, 2/27).

Jadon Sancho signed a senior contract with German club Borussia Dortmund in '17 after leaving Man City. GETTY IMAGES

Man City is being investigated by the FA regarding claims the club made an "irregular" £200,000 payment to the agent of Jadon Sancho in '15. That year, the forward moved from EPL club Watford to Man City at the age of 14. German publication Der Spiegel reported that Sancho was represented by Emeka Obasi, who was given a £200,000-a-year scouting contract that was actually an “impermissible payment” by Man City to help facilitate Sancho's move. A player cannot be represented until the year they turn 16 (London GUARDIAN, 2/27).

Barcelona and Baskonia are reportedly "weighing joining Real Madrid in leaving the Spanish Basketball League (ACB) and competing only in the EuroLeague." Baskonia, Barcelona and Real Madrid are three of the 11 "license A" members of the 16-team EuroLeague, and all three are shareholders in the continental competition (EL MUNDO, 2/27).

Barcelona sources disputed the report claiming the club may "abandon" the ACB (MUNDO DEPORTIVO, 2/27).

Editor's note: The embedded tweet shows the controversial ending to Real Madrid's 94-93 loss to Barcelona on Feb. 17.

Of the 1.3 million tickets available for the Women's World Cup in France, 500,000 have been sold since Sept. ’18. The tournament starts in 100 days. Ticket sales to foreign spectators accounted for 47% of those sold, with "half of that number coming from the U.S." The local organizing committee said that it will use Euro 2016, hosted by France, "as its model" for security protocols. There will not be any fan zones in host cities (LE MONDE, 2/27).

League Championship side Queens Park Rangers could move into a 45,000-capacity stadium as part of a $565M redevelopment project, according to plans drawn up by Hammersmith & Fulham Council. The report revealed four options for the modernization of the Linford Christie Athletics Stadium, located close to the club's current home at Loftus Road. The $565M option is "the most expensive" of the four. Sources close to the club believe the roof plans "could include a hi-tech design enabling the pitch to be lifted up as the roof during indoor events." The solution -- the "first of its kind if built" -- would mean the pitch would not be affected by non-football events (London DAILY MAIL, 2/27).

Ligue 1 side Nantes complained to FIFA that EPL side Cardiff City has "not paid the first installment" of the $20M transfer fee for Emiliano Sala, who died in a plane crash on Jan. 21. Nantes has demanded payment as agreed to in the contract, while Cardiff said that it wants to "wait for the investigation into the crash to be completed." Nantes’ lawyers wrote to Cardiff on Feb. 5 asking for the first of three annual payments "within 10 working days." Last week, that deadline was extended until Feb. 26. Having received no payment, Nantes carried out its threat to "take the matter to FIFA’s dispute resolution chamber" (London GUARDIAN, 2/27).

Late Wednesday, FIFA confirmed that it will investigate the case (REUTERS, 2/28).

DAZN went live in Spain on Wednesday. The platform is charging $5.50 per month, with the first month free, and is not requiring long-term contracts. DAZN is now available in eight countries. DAZN Spain's rights portfolio includes the EPL, MotoGP, EuroLeague, FA Cup and UFC (DAZN).

Neymar and former ManU Manager José Mourinho signed as global ambassadors for DAZN. Neymar's endorsement comes at a "significant time" as DAZN prepares to launch in Brazil later this year (SOCCEREX, 2/27).

La Liga on Tuesday unveiled three new technologies during the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona. Calendar Selector is a cloud-based AI application that considers more than 70 variables to propose optimal match schedules. Sunlight is a software that predicts the natural light conditions of each match using 3D reconstructions of stadiums. Virtual Assistant, which is based on Samsung's Bixby, provides information to fans through voice and text.

French sportswear retailer Decathlon "scrapped plans to sell a hijab for women runners in France following a public outcry." The firm said that it decided to suspend the product following "a wave of insults" and "unprecedented threats." French politicians said that the "running hijab" contradicted the country's secular values, and some lawmakers suggested a boycott of the brand. Decathlon initially "stood by the hijab, which is already for sale in Morocco" (BBC, 2/26).

Man City and water technology company Xylem launched a campaign called "Closer Than You Think" to educate football fans on the risks posed by water complacency. Lagardère Plus-owned agency Brave created the campaign, which kicked off with the launch of "The Changing Room." It features Man City players Sergio Agüero, David Silva and Ilkay Gündoğan (Lagardère Plus).

The FA partnered with PayPal to launch a new smartphone app that will "transform how players pay their match fees." Until now, the grassroots game has "largely relied on money changing hands in person," which has meant many clubs suffer "from late or missed payments" (London TELEGRAPH, 2/27).

Tottenham named Molton Brown its official supplier of toiletries for the club's training center, head offices and the suites at its new stadium (Tottenham). 

Italian brand Kappa will be the equipment provider for Ligue 1 side Monaco next season, succeeding Nike, whose contract expires in June. Kappa supplied the club's kit from ’98-’01 (L’ÉQUIPE, 2/27).

Int'l ticket provider Sports Events 365 signed a season ticket agreement with Serie A side AS Roma (Sports Events 365).

CONMEBOL announced Mastercard will be the official payment partner for the 2019 Copa América and will sponsor the Copa Libertadores from ’19-’22 (CONMEBOL).

Eurosport will allow audiences to skip through full-length ads on its free digital platform Eurosport.com and the Eurosport app. The initiative went live on Tuesday (BROADBAND TV NEWS, 2/27).

Welsh domestic rugby could be set for its most "radical upheaval" since the games went regional in '03. Ideas for the '20-'21 season include a new region based in north Wales (BBC, 2/27).

Cyclists throwing away water bottles at this weekend's opening European race of the World Tour "will face fines" of up to $1,000 under anti-littering rules introduced by the Int'l Cycling Union (UCI) (THE AUSTRALIAN, 2/27).

Indian PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched the Khelo India Mobile App, which aims to increase awareness about sports and fitness (HINDUSTAN TIMES, 2/27).

Russian Premier League side Ufa is "so confident" it will win its home game against Dynamo Moscow on Sunday, it has "offered to refund fans' tickets" if it loses. And "as a bonus," the club will offer free tickets to its next home game (BBC, 2/27).

Octagon named JOANNE WARNES agency director, Singapore. Warnes will report to Octagon Southeast Asia Managing Dir AYKAN AZAR (Octagon). ... Ligue 1 side Bordeaux sacked GM RICARDO RAYMUNDO GOMES (Bordeaux). ... FERNANDO ALONSO was named an ambassador for McLaren Racing. Alonso raced for McLaren in '07 and from '15-'18 (McLaren). ... Former Barcelona President SANDRO ROSELL will be set free pending his trial on money laundering charges related to the sale of TV rights for matches involving the Brazilian national soccer team (AP, 2/27).

"The base camps will come, but not for this edition” -- 2019 Women’s World Cup Local Organizing Committee Dir Erwan Le Prévost, on the lack of dedicated training bases for any of the 24 teams competing (LE MONDE, 2/27).

"We have a good relationship with them [the Professional Footballers' Association and Football Federation Australia], we're talking to them, and common sense can prevail" -- A-League side Western Sydney Owner Paul Lederer, on closing the Australian game's gender pay gap and reaching collective bargaining agreements for the A-League and W-League (HERALD SUN, 2/26).

"There is no doubt in my mind that it is going to be an historic occasion" -- Royal & Ancient Golf Club CEO Martin Slumbers, on the Open Championship taking place at Royal Portrush from July 18-21. Slumbers said earlier this week that Brexit was causing "significant concerns" for the event (BBC, 2/27).

The BBC's Alex Homer kicks the proverbial hornet's nest, asking, "Do Premier League and English Football League clubs pay enough corporate tax?"

As French sporting goods company Decathlon faces an outcry over its hijab for runners, Washington Post Paris correspondent James McAuley observes, "Yet again, France has descended into histrionics over the prospect of what Muslim women might choose to wear."

The Irish Independent's Daniel McDonnell takes a pessimistic look at Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers' "Brexit" to Leicester City, writing, "Rodgers' rush to leave Celtic is an indictment of the Scottish game's decline." 

The London Times' Owen Slot believes a deal between Six Nations and CVC Capital Partners would be the death knell for a proposed global series, offering that, "If they do agree a separate deal with a financial partner such as CVC, it will probably kill off the proposed Nations Championship."

It’s 100 days to go until the #FIFAWWC! 😍
Ettie will entertain young and old in each of the nine Host Cities. Later today, each will reveal their poster, which of course, we’ll be sharing here! 👌🐤🇫🇷#FIFAWWC #DareToShine pic.twitter.com/BzDr5rwCcE

— FIFA Women's World Cup 🇫🇷 (@FIFAWWC) February 27, 2019

Friday: FIFA bans Chelsea from making any signings this summer or the January transfer window.

Today: Chelsea tweets "Who would you want to sign in the summer?"

That could happen if the appeal process puts the ban on hold https://t.co/mPo1Om8tqt

— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) February 27, 2019

Following the issue we had this morning with the front left of our car, we are thoroughly verifying everything, which clearly takes time. Our aim is to send the car back on track before the end of today. #EssereFerrari #SF90 #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/3rIAy1tb2F

— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 27, 2019

SADIO MANE GOT THEM WITH THE BACKHEEL GOAL 😳

Watch more: https://t.co/jr0Yh2l05B pic.twitter.com/pX9UHAh9Gp

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) February 27, 2019