Fatma Samoura: black, female and breaking glass ceilings
May 29 – Being arguably the most powerful woman in sport and certainly in football has not stopped FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura encountering prejudice.
Author: Paul Nicholson
Bull and Tencent combine for eSports events in China during Russian World Cup
May 29 – The Chinese are ramping up their engagement with the World Cup with Bull, a Chinese electrical devices provider, agreeing a deal with Tencent, for a series of eSports events and marketing campaigns throughout the country during the Russian tournament.
Real Madrid make it Champions League hat-trick as Liverpool drop the ball
By Samindra Kunti in Kiev
May 29 – Substitute Gareth Bale scored twice for Real Madrid to win the Champions League 3-1 win against much-fancied underdogs Liverpool. Mohamed Salah dislocated his shoulder and Loris Karius was the anti-hero, conceding two astounding goals that led Madrid to glory. Madrid’s win was historic in collecting a 13th European Cup. The victory may also have signified the end of an era.
FIFA Congress to debate 48-team 2022 World Cup, but $25bn plan is off agenda
By Paul Nicholson
May 25 – FIFA’s Moscow Congress on June 13 will not be asked to vote on president Gianni Infantino’s $25 billion new competition proposals. But it will be asked to push forward the 48-team World Cup agenda with the approval of a feasibility study for the expansion of Qatar 2022.
Temperatures raised as Kiev struggles with Liverpool influx and Champions League heat
By Samindra Kunti in Kiev
May 25 – Real Madrid will seek to win a record third consecutive Champions League title when they face Liverpool in Kiev on Saturday. But the excitement of the match is already over for about a thousand Liverpool fans who won’t make it to the Ukrainian capital after their flights were cancelled.
San Francisco 49ers take $10m minority stake in Leeds United
May 25 – Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani has sold a minority stake in the club to 49ers Enterprises, an investment entity affiliated with the San Francisco 49ers NFL team.
Lyon retain Champions League title with extra time win over Wolfsburg
By Samindra Kunti in Kiev
May 25 – Lyon defeated Wolfsburg 4-1 to win the Champions League for a third consecutive time. They recovered form a goal down to run out classy 4-1 winners against ten Germans in a dramatic 30 minutes of extra time.
Surkis fury over timing of Ukrainian matchfixing raids and inaction of FFU
By Samindra Kunti in Kiev
May 25 – Accusations of match-fixing rocked Ukrainian football this week but UEFA Executive Committee member and former Ukrainian FA boss Grigoriy Surkis has blasted the timing of the police raids and the inertia of the local FA in not having dealt with the problems. He called for a thorough investigation. Kiev hosts the Champions League final on Saturday.
China’s CCTV breaks tradition to share Russia 2018 streaming and mobile rights with MIGU
May 25 – The digital streaming market received a significant credibility boost with the China’s MIGU being granted digital and telecoms rights from state broadcaster CCTV for the 2018 World Cup.
Hyundai teams with FIFA Museum for ‘History Makers’ exhibition in Moscow
May 25 – The budget beleaguered FIFA World Football Museum that has been a major casualty under FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s sweeping cost cuts, has phoenix-like re-emerged for the Russian World Cup to host major exhibition at Hyundai Motorstudio Moscow.
Grassroots mayhem: Attack on referee in London amateur leads to calls for bodycams
May 25 – An attack on a referee in an amateur game between two Turkish teams based in north London has attracted outrage after video footage of the incident was released in the media.
A 2018 World Cup finals England will host. eFIFA World Cup heads for London
May 25 – For the second year running London will host the FIFA eWorld Cup Grand Final 2018. The finals organised by FIFA video gamemaker Electronic Arts will be played from August 2-4, though the venue is still to be announced.
Watchfinder justs beats the clock with EFL play-off deal before weekend deciders
May 25 – Timed almost to the last minute, the English Football League (EFL) has announced Watchfinder is its first ‘Official Timekeeper of the EFL Play-Off Finals’ that play this weekend over three days at Wembley Stadium.
Ceferin turns full blast on Infantino accusing him of ‘selling the soul’ of the game
By Paul Nicholson
May 24 – If there was any lingering doubt that the relationship between former UEFA general-secretary-turned-FIFA-president Gianni Infantino and the head of the European governing body Aleksander Ceferin was strained, those doubts were blown out the water by a speech by Ceferin to the Council of European Union Sports Ministers in Brussels yesterday (Wednesday).
Cutting the cord: Wolfsburg face Lyon in Kiev before women’s final goes ‘standalone’
May 24 – Wolfsburg and Lyon meet in the final of the UEFA Women’s Champions League tonight in Kiev, two days before Liverpool and Real Madrid play the men’s final. In future UEFA says it is “moving the finals become a centrepiece of the calendar in their own right.”