Basque breakaway bid looks for UEFA and FIFA recognition
December 16 – The Basque Football Federation has applied to FIFA and UEFA to be officially recognised so the regional team can compete in international competition.
Europe
PSG favourites to pick up Messi’s £52m wages
December 16 – Paris Saint-Germain are reported to be growing increasingly confident of landing Lionel Messi on a free transfer next summer because of his wage demands at Barcelona whose finances have taken a massive hit as a result of the effects of coronavirus.
AC Milan’s Gazidis casts doubt over ‘reality’ of Super League breakaway
December 16 – AC Milan chief executive Ivan Gazidis has downplayed the threat a European Super League which recently resurfaced when former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu said his club had received an invitation to take part.
Brexit rules will stem flow of young foreign talent, says Man Utd academy boss
December 16 – The head of Manchester United’s academy has warned that Brexit will have an adverse effect of English clubs trying to sign young players from overseas.
Cristante to miss Serie A match for breaking Italian blasphemy law
December 16 – Italy’s international midfielder Bryan Cristante has been banned for one Serie A game for breaking the country’s strict blasphemy laws following his own goal in Roma’s 5-1 over win over Bologna on Sunday.
Belgium’s Oostende release Ondoa over lockdown party chaos
December 16 – KV Oostende have dismissed their Cameroon goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa with immediate effect after he allegedly organised a lockdown party.
Belgians keep option of retaining an 18-team top tier open
December 15 – Belgian football has postponed a decision to temporarily maintain an 18-team league format until January following a general assembly of the Pro League.
Barca vs PSG, Liverpool vs RB Leipzig, Atletico vs Chelsea are pick of Champions League round of 16
December 14 – Barcelona will face Paris St Germain in a mouth-watering heavyweight clash of the Champions League round of 16 while title holders Bayern Munich are up against Italy’s Lazio following today’s draw.
Europe mourns passing of Gerard Houllier, aged 73
By Andrew Warshaw
December 14 – Former French head coach and Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier, one of the most knowledgeable, astute and widely respected figures of his generation, has died aged 73, prompting a string a tributes from across the footballing world.
Ukraine appeal to CAS over covid 3-pointer that forced relegation
December 14 – Ukraine have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against UEFA’s decision to award Switzerland a 3-0 walkover win in last month’s Nations League clash between the sides as a result of positive Covid-19 tests in the Ukrainian camp.
English-born Premier League managers have been in the minority for 10 years
December 14 – In the top five European leagues, the Premier League has the lowest representation of domestic managers at 27%, a report by RunRepeat highlights.
Birch swaps Spurs for EFL chief exec role
December 14 – The English Football League has appointed one of the country’s most sought-after and widely-travelled administrators, Trevor Birch (pictured), as its new chief executive.
Euro Leagues body calls on UEFA for more ‘solidarity’ over Champions League payouts
By Andrew Warshaw
December 11 – The umbrella body representing all of Europe’s major leagues has re-iterated its concern over the Continent’s financial haves and have-nots and has urged UEFA to hand more of its Champions League cash to those not participating in its elite competition.
Greizmann cuts ties with Huawei over tech giant’s ‘Uighur alert’ face recognition weapon
December 11 – Barcelona’s French international forward and World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann, who has been an ambassador for tech giant Huawei, has cut commercial ties with the company citing China’s treatment of Uighur Muslims.
New day, new officials: PSG and Basaksehir show solidarity as game gets played
December 10 – Paris Saint-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir players took a knee and wore ‘No to racism’ t-shirts before their rescheduled Champions League game on Wednesday, 24 hours after the original fixture was abandoned after 14 minutes when both teams walked off in protest after the Turkish club accused a match official of racism.