2020 – The year in sport
2020 was a year like no other. The world changed dramatically by the spread of the Coronavirus. Nobody was immune from Covid-19 and the sporting calendar was drastically changed as a result.
As the world learned to live with the virus sport slowly began to return, but one key component was missing – fans. Nevertheless sport helped us all during this year to take our minds off the virus and Marking the Spot has been there through it all so here’s a look back at the major sporting stories of 2020.
January
- 1st – Peter Wright defeats Michael van Gerwen to win World Darts Championship
- 7th – Sadio Mane is voted as African Player of the Year
- 12th – Barcelona striker Luis Suarez is ruled out for four months with a knee injury
- 13th – FC Barcelona sack manager Ernesto Valverde appointing Quique Setien in his place
- 15th – Jonathan Sexton is named as the new Ireland captain ahead of the Six Nations
- 19th – Conor McGregor defeats Donald Cerrone at UFC 246
- 23rd – Finn Russell is sent home from Scotland’s Six Nations squad following misconduct
- 26th – Basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna die in a helicopter accident
- 28th – Christian Eriksen joins Inter Milan from Tottenham
- 30th – Manchester United sign Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon
- 31st – Racing Point announce they will become Aston Martin in the 2021 Formula 1 season
February
- 1st – Sofia Kenin defeats Garbine Muguruza to win the Australian Open Women’s Singles title
- 1st – Ireland kick off their Six Nations campaign with a narrow win over Scotland
- 2nd – Novak Djokovic defeats Dominic Thiem to win the Mens Singles Title at the Australian Open
- 6th – A sign of things to come as reports emerge the Chinese Grand Prix may be rescheduled
- 8th – Ireland record a bonus point victory over Wales
- 12th – The Chinese Grand Prix is officially postponed due to the Coronavirus
- 13th – Chelsea agree to sign Ajax’s Hakim Ziyech for €44m
- 14th – Manchester City are banned from the Champions League for two seasons
- 23rd – Ireland slump to defeat against England in the Six Nations
- 26th – Growing fears regarding the coronavirus sees Ireland’s Six Nations match against Italy postponed
- 29th – Watford hand Liverpool their first defeat in the Premier League ending their hopes of an invincible season
March
- 1st – Manchester City clinch the Carabao Cup defeating Aston Villa 2-1
- 1st – Real Madrid defeat Barcelona in El Clasico to take the lead in La Liga
- 3rd – Team Ineos director sportif Nicolas Portal dies aged 41
- 5th – UEFA announce two games will be played behind closed doors over coronavirus fears
- 7th – England defeat Wales to win the Triple Crown
- 9th – Ireland’s Six Nations encounter in France is postponed
- 10th – Josip Ilicic scores four goals as Atalanta defeat Valencia to reach the Champions League quarter-finals
- 10th – RB Leipzig knockout Tottenham in the Champions League Last 16
- 11th – PSG rally against Borussia Dortmund to reach the Champions League quarter-finals
- 11th – Atletico Madrid stun Liverpool at Anfield knocking the defending Champions out
- 12th – Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta tests positive for the coronavirus
- 12th – The season opening Australian Grand Prix is cancelled hours before practise one
- 13th – All Champions and Europa League football is suspended
- 13th – All English football is suspend provisionally until April
- 13th – The Giro d’Italia is postponed
- 13th – The Masters Championship is postponed
- 13th – Al Boum Photo retains the Cheltenham Gold Cup
- 17th – EURO 2020 is officially postponed until 2021
- 19th – Formula 1 announces the introduction of new regulations will be pushed back to 2022
- 24th – The Tokyo Olympic Games are postponed to 2021
April
- 1st – Wimbledon is cancelled for the first time in 75 years
- 4th – Mick McCarthy is replaced by Stephen Kenny as manager of the Republic of Ireland
- 4th – Keith Andrews and Damien Duff are named as part of Stephen Kenny’s backroom staff
- 6th – The Open Championship is cancelled
- 12th – Formula 1 legend Sir Stirling Moss dies aged 90
- 15th – The Tour de France is rescheduled for the end of August
- 22nd – Michael O’Neill resigns as Northern Ireland manager to take over Stoke City
- 24th – The Dutch FA cancel their seasons without crowing champions or promotions or relegations
- 28th – France’s Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 seasons are cancelled
May
- 3rd – Netherlands National team manager Ronald Koeman undergoes an emergency heart procedure
- 6th – The Bundesliga announces it will resume in the second half of May
- 8th – FIFA announces five substitutes will be permitted when the season resumes
- 12th – Ferrari announce Sebastian Vettel will leave the team at the end of the season
- 14th – Carlos Sainz is named as Vettel’s replacement while Daniel Ricciardo will leave Renault to join McLaren
- 26th – Bayern Munich defeat Borussia Dortmund as the Bundesliga season resumes
- 29th – Williams split from their title sponsor and fears emerge the family could be forced to sell due to losses
June
- 2nd – Formula 1 announces eight races to begin the season
- 7th – Conor McGregor retires from the UFC, for the third time…
- 9th – A French court suspends relegations from Ligue 1
- 13th – Barcelona are victorious as La Liga resumes behind closed doors
- 16th – Bayern Munich clinch their eight straight Bundesliga title
- 17th – UEFA announce the Champions League will be concluded in a mini-tournament in Lisbon
- 18th – Chelsea reach a deal to sign Timo Werner from RB Leipzig
- 20th – Former F1 driver and Italian Paralympian Alex Zanadi suffers serious injures in a crash
- 23rd – Novak Djokovic tests positive for Covid-19 after hosting a tennis tournament flouting health guidelines
- 25th – Australia and New Zealand are named as hosts for the 2023 Women’s World Cup
- 25th – Liverpool are crowned Premier League champions as Chelsea defeat Manchester City
- 29th – Arthur Melo joins Juventus while Miralem Pjanic goes the opposite direction to Barcelona
July
- 3rd – Red Bull lodge an appeal against Mercedes DAS system
- 4th – The FIA rule Mercedes DAS system is legal but move to outlaw it in future seasons
- 5th – Valtteri Bottas wins a dramatic season opening Grand Prix in Austria
- 8th – Renault announce Fernando Alonso will race for the team in 2021
- 8th – The Ryder Cup is postponed to 2021
- 9th – Team INEOS announce Chris Froome will leave them at the end of the season
- 10th – Mugello and Sochi are added to the F1 calendar
- 11th – Legendary Republic of Ireland manager Jack Charlton dies aged 85
- 12th – Lewis Hamilton wins the Styrian Grand Prix
- 13th – CAS overturn Manchester City’s Champions League ban
- 16th – Williams announce they will retain George Russell and Nicolas Latifi for the 2021 season
- 16th – Real Madrid are crowned La Liga champions as Barcelona lose to Osasuna
- 19th – Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton eases to victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix
- 20th – France Football announce the Ballon d’Or will not be awarded in 2020
- 22nd – Ferrari announce a technical shakeup following a poor start to the season
- 24th – Portimao, Nurburgring and Imola are added to the F1 calendar
- 30th – The proposed Saudi Arabian take over of Newcastle United falls through
- 30th – Racing Point driver Sergio Perez tests positive for Covid-19
August
- 1st – Arsenal defeat Chelsea 2-1 to win the FA Cup
- 1st – Manager Eddie Howe leaves relegated Bournemouth
- 2nd – Lewis Hamilton survives a last lap puncture to win the British Grand Prix
- 4th – Joe Bryan scores a brace as Fulham defeat Brentford in the play-off final
- 7th – Lyon dump Juventus out of the Champions League
- 7th – Manchester City reach the Champions League quarter-finals defeating Real Madrid
- 8th – Juventus sack manager Maurizio Sarri following their Champions League exit
- 8th – Andrea Pirlo is appointed as the new manager of Juventus
- 8th – Bayern Munich ease into the Champions League quarter-finals defeating Chelsea
- 8th – Messi sends Barcelona past Napoli into the last eight of the Champions League
- 9th – Red Bull’s Max Verstappen wins the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix
- 10th – Colin Morikawa wins the US PGA Championship
- 12th – Atalanta crumble in the dying minutes of the game as PSG reach the Champions League semi-finals
- 13th – RB Leipzig stun Atletico Madrid to lineup PSG in the Champions League semi-finals
- 14th – Bayern Munich destroy Barcelona 8-2 in the Champions League quarter-finals
- 15th – Manchester City crumble as Lyon reach the Champions League semi-finals
- 16th – Lewis Hamilton coasts to victory at the Spanish Grand Prix
- 16th – Sevilla stun Manchester United to reach the Europa League final
- 17th – Quique Setien is sacked as Barcelona manager
- 17th – Inter Milan defeat Shakhtar Donetsk to book a place in the Europa League final
- 18th – PSG reach the Champions League final for the first time by defeating RB Leipzig
- 19th – Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas are left out of Team INEOS’ Tour de France team
- 19th – All Formula 1 teams reach an agreement for a new Concord Agreement
- 19th – Ronald Koeman is appointed as the new manager of FC Barcelona
- 19th – Bayern Munich defeat Lyon to reach the Champions League final
- 21st – Williams announce the sale of the team to a US investment firm
- 21st – Sevilla see off Inter Milan in a thrilling final to win the Europa League
- 23rd – Bayern Munich narrowly defeat PSG to win the Champions League
- 25th – Manchester United captain Harry Maguire is arrested in Greece
- 25th – Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi tells the club he wants to leave
- 29th – Alexander Kristoff wins the opening stage of the Tour de France
- 30th – Lewis Hamilton eases to victory at the Belgian Grand Prix
September
- 2nd – Manchester United sign Donny van de Beek from Ajax
- 3rd – The Williams family announce they will step back from Formula 1 after the Italian Grand Prix
- 3rd – Shane Duffy scores a late header to rescue a draw in Stephen Kenny’s first game as Ireland manager
- 4th – Lionel Messi announces he will stay at Barcelona for the coming season
- 4th – Chelsea sign Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen for £71m
- 6th – Renault announce they will rebrand as Alpine F1 for the 2021 season
- 6th – AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly wins a thrilling Italian Grand Prix at Monza
- 6th – Ireland lose to Finland in the UEFA Nations League
- 8th – Sam Bennett becomes the sixth Irishman to win a stage of the Tour de France taking stage 10
- 9th – Racing Point announce Sergio Perez will leave the team at the end of the season
- 10th – Racing Point confirm Sebastian Vettel will race for the team in 2021
- 13th – Lewis Hamilton wins a turbulent Tuscan Grand Prix
- 16th – Defending champion Egan Bernal withdraws from the Tour de France
- 19th – Gareth Bales rejoins Tottenham on loan from Real Madrid
- 19th – Tadej Pogacar wins the penultimate stage of the Tour de France to snatch the Yellow Jersey
- 20th – Pogacar is crowned champion as Bennett secures the green jersey with a win on the Champs-Élyées
- 21st – Bryson DeChambeau storms to victory at the US Open at Winged Foot
- 21st – Two people are arrested into an investigation of doping at the Tour de France
- 23rd – Frank de Boer is appointed as manager of the Dutch national team
- 24th – Luis Suarez leaves Barcelona to join Atletico Madrid
- 24th – Bayern Munich see off Sevilla to win the UEFA Super Cup
- 25th – Formula 1 announce Stefano Domenicali will become CEO from 2021
- 27th – Valtteri Bottas wins the Russian Grand Prix
October
- 2nd – Engine supplier Honda announce they will leave F1 after the 2021 season
- 3rd – Filippo Ganna wins the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia
- 4th – Tottenham Hotspur humiliate Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford
- 4th – Aston Villa defeat defending champions Liverpool 7-2
- 6th – Geraint Thomas withdraws from the Giro d’Italia with a broken pelvis
- 8th – Ireland’s EURO 2021 hopes die as they lose to Slovakia in a penalty shootout
- 10th – Nico Hulkenberg is drafted in at short notice to replace Lance Stroll at the Eifel Grand Prix
- 11th – Lewis Hamilton equals Michael Schumacher’s 91 wins with victory at the Eifel Grand Prix
- 11th – James McClean sees red as Ireland draw with Wales in the UEFA Nations League
- 13th – Mitchelton-Scott withdraw from the Giro d’Italia following positive Covid tests
- 13th – Jumbo-Visma also withdraw from the Giro due to Covid cases
- 14th – Ireland suffer a 1-0 loss to Finland in the Nations League
- 20th – Primoz Roglic wins the opening stage of the Vuelta a Espana
- 22nd – Haas F1 announce both Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen will leave the team
- 22nd – Dan Martin wins stage 3 of the Vuelta a Espana
- 23rd – Sam Bennett wins stage 4 of the Vuelta a Espana
- 24th – Real Madrid defeat Barcelona 3-1 in El Clasico
- 24th – Ireland beat Italy as the Six Nations resumes behind closed doors
- 25th – Lewis Hamilton reaches 92 F1 wins winning in Portugal
- 25th – Tao Geoghegan Hart wins the Giro d’Italia on the final day via an individual time trial
- 27th – Josep Maria Bartomeu resigns as president of Barcelona as the entire board steps down
- 29th – Sam Bennett crosses the line first but is relegated to last on stage 9 of the Vuelta
- 30th – Alpha Romeo announce they will retain Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi for the 2021 season
- 31st – France flatten Ireland in the Six Nations handing the title to England
November
- 1st – Hamilton wins the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix as Mercedes secure the constructors’ title
- 2nd – Mick McCarthy is appointed as manager of Cypriot side APOEL Nicosia
- 4th – David McGoldrick announces his retirement from international soccer
- 4th – Manchester United suffer a shock defeat to Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions League which will prove costly
- 5th – Formula 1 announce they will race in Saudi Arabia in 2021
- 8th – Primoz Roglic wins the shortened Vuelta a Espana successfully defending his title
- 9th – Barcelona youngster Ansu Fati is ruled out for four months following knee surgery
- 10th – Formula 1 releases a 23 race calendar for 2021
- 12th – England ease to a 3-0 victory over Ireland in a friendly at Wembley
- 13th – Ireland begin their Autumn Nations Cup campaign with a win over Wales
- 15th – Lewis Hamilton secures his seventh World Championship at the Turkish Grand Prix
- 15th – Ireland again fail to score as they lose to Wales in the Nations League
- 15th – Dustin Johnson breaks the low scoring record to win The Masters at Augusta National
- 17th – Spain hit Germany for six in the UEFA Nations League
- 18th – Ireland avoid relegation but fail to beat Bulgaria in the Nations League
- 19th – Pep Guardiola signs a two year contract extension at Manchester City
- 21st – England prove too strong for Ireland in the Autumn Nations Cup
- 23rd – Assistant manager to Jack Charlton at Ireland Maurice Setters dies
- 25th – The world of sport is shocked at the passing of footballing icon Diego Maradona aged 60
- 27th – The European and PGA tours announce they will create a strategic alliance
- 29th – Ireland do enough to defeat Georgia in the Autumn Nations Cup
- 29th – Romain Grosjean survives a horrific crash at the Bahrain Grand Prix which was won by Hamilton
- 30th – Haas announce Pietro Fittipaldi will replace Grosjean in following the accident
December
- 1st – Lewis Hamilton tests positive for Covid-19
- 1st – Nikita Mazepin is announced as a Haas driver for 2021
- 2nd – George Russell steps up to Mercedes to replace Hamilton while Jack Aitken takes his seas at Williams
- 2nd – Mick Schumacher is announced as a Haas driver for the 2021 season
- 4th – Napoli rename their stadium in honour of Diego Maradona
- 5th – Ireland defeat Scotland to finish third in the Autumn Nations Cup
- 6th – England defeat France in a dramatic final of the Autumn Nations Cup
- 6th – Racing Point’s Sergio Perez wins the Sakhir Grand Prix as Mercedes implode
- 7th – The draw for the European qualification for the 2022 World Cup is made
- 8th – Manchester United lose 3-2 to RB Leipzig to crash out of the Champions League
- 10th – Italian soccer great Paolo Rossi dies aged 64
- 10th – Russell returns to Williams as Hamilton passes fit for the final grand prix of the season
- 11th – Well respected rugby referee Nigel Owens retires from international duty
- 13th – Borussia Dortmund sack manager Lucien Favre
- 13th – Max Verstappen dominates from the start to win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
- 14th – Former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier dies aged 73
- 14th – The draw is made for the 2023 Rugby World Cup
- 16th – Yuki Tsunoda is announced as an AlphaTauri driver replacing Daniil Kvyat
- 16th – West Brom sack manager Slaven Bilic
- 16th – Sam Allardyce is appointed as the new manager of West Brom
- 17th – CAS upholds but reduces Russia’s Olympic ban
- 17th – Robert Lewandowski wins the FIFA Best Award
- 18th – Sergio Perez replaces Alexander Albon at Red Bull for the 2021 season
- 20th – Manchester United hit their old rivals Leeds for six
- 23rd – Kieran Trippier is handed a ten week ban for betting breaches
- 29th – Paris Saint Germain sack manager Thomas Tuchel
- 31st – Burnley are taken over by a group of American investors
Throughout the year Marking The Spot publishes longer form articles that are related to current and historical sporting events. In case you missed these articles here they are:
- Exploring Clairefontaine – France’s elite footballing academy
- Why do Israel play in European competitions?
- Five next big players who failed to shine
- How Ronaldinho ended up in a Paraguayan prison
- The 2020 Formula 1 season preview
- Gianfranco Zola’s homecoming
- The Diego Diaries
2020 was a truly memorable year for both good and bad reasons. In 2021 Marking The Spot will take you every step of the way as the world of sport weaves move wonderful stories.
Thank you for all your support in 2020 and I wish you all a Happy New Year.
