Police drop Rooney blackmail complaint over hotel pictures
July 28 – A complaint of blackmail in relation to photographs of former England captain Wayne Rooney has been dropped by police.
Europe
Barca and Neymar settle contract disputes out of court
July 27 – Barcelona have finally reached an out-of-court agreement with their former player Neymar to end a long-running legal dispute in “amicable fashion”.
Lopez concludes acquisition of Girondins de Bordeaux
July 26 – Gerard Lopez has been confirmed as the new owner of Girondins de Bordeaux, saving the Ligue 1 club from bankruptcy.
Crouch report call for independent regulator of English game and a fan ‘golden share’
July 23 – English football needs an independent regulator and a “golden share” for fans to protect the game, former sports minister Tracey Crouch has recommended, following a fan-led review into governance issues in the sport.
Italy rules out return of Eriksen as long as he has a defibrillator implant
July 23 – Christian Eriksen will not be allowed to play in Italian football with a defibrillator, a leading scientific expert for the Italian FA has said.
Belgians hope Covid Safe Ticket will return Pro League stadia to full capacity
July 21 – Belgium’s top flight league wants to welcome capacity crowds once again in August.
St Petersburg to host 2022 Champions League final, Istanbul to try again with 2023
July 20 – Third time lucky? Istanbul will host the 2023 Champions League final, UEFA confirmed, with Dublin and Bilbao awarded major clubs finals as well after they dropped out of staging Euro 2020 matches.
Mooney quits UEFA to take Welsh chief exec role
July 20 – The Welsh FA have landed Noel Mooney, UEFA’s head of national associations business development as its new chief executive
Spezia Calcio to appeal FIFA ban for trafficking Nigerian minors
July 19 – American-owned Serie A club Spezia Calcio say they will appeal against a two-year transfer ban imposed by FIFA based on the previous owners breaking transfer rules by recruiting young players from Africa.
Police arrest 5 for social media abuse of Rashford, Saka and Sancho
July 16 – Five people have been arrested in the wake of the racist abuse meted out to the three black players who missed penalties in England’s shootout defeat to Italy in the final of Euro 2020.
EU court makes ESL rebels wait in case against UEFA
July 16 – The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has rejected a Madrid court’s request for an accelerated judicial procedure in the European Super League case.
Beitar owner calls off Barca friendly over refusal to play in Jerusalem
July 16 – The owner of Beitar Jerusalem, Israel’s most extremist top-flight club and the only one never to have signed an Arab player, has called off a friendly with Barcelona over its refusal to hold the game in the contested city.
Messi agrees 50% pay cut to end career at Barca
July 15 – After all manner of speculation stretching back several weeks, Lionel Messi is set to stay at Barcelona until 2026, effectively the end of his career, despite taking a 50% wage cut according to Spanish reports.
LaLiga brands Spanish FA boss Rubiales’ latest power play as ‘irresponsible’
July 13 – LaLiga has told the Spanish FA (RFEF) and its president Luis Rubiales that under no circumstances will it be changing the format of its competitions which are working successfully, growing commercially and are sustainably supporting a football industry in Spain.
Brych blows final whistle on international refereeing
July 15 – Leading German referee Felix Brych has retired from the international game and won’t officiate at the World Cup in Qatar, he announced.