Botev Plovdiv 30% share sale under-subscribed
May 14 – Bulgaria’s Botev Plovdiv have announced that the club has been unable to sell 30% of its shares, and is ready to return the money to everyone who bought shares in the sales campaign.
Author: Paul Nicholson
Match week 36: Battle for Champions League keeps stadia full as bottom dwellers drift away
May 14 – Match week 36 delivered an average stadium capacity of 97.82%, offering a slight reality check after last week’s bumper figures, as persistent underperformance by familiar strugglers — Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton — dragged down the overall average.
Okocha, Adebayor and Eto’o to visit Somalia on ‘Peace Tour’
May 14 – Somalian football, which has been making great strides to overcome the country’s violent and turbulent past, is being given a high profile boost with the visit of three of Africa’s most senior football legends in a show of solidarity and demonstration of the increased safety in the country.
Sebastian Ingrosso to headline Champion League fan festival before Munich final
May 14 – UEFA is doubling down on its entertainment-driven fan engagement with confirmation that Swedish DJ Sebastian Ingrosso will headline the Friday Night Show at this year’s UEFA Champions Festival in Munich.
More than just a goal: Messi to pick his favourite; Anadol to create an art piece; Christies to auction for charity
May 14 – Lionel Messi has scored more than 800 goals in his career but which one is his favourite? As part of a charity campaign promotion between Inter Miami CF Foundation (IMCFF) and UNICEF all will be revealed this month and then further immortalised in art.
UEFA appoints Eastern European referees for all four of its club finals
May14 – Romania’s István Kovács will take charge of the UEFA Champions League final, while Croatia’s Ivana Martinčić will officiate the Women’s Champions League final.
Mascherano with work to do get Messi, Suarez, Alba and Inter Miami back on track
May 13 – With just four weeks until the FIFA Club World Cup (CWC) kicks off, the tournament’s opener featuring Inter Miami and their star Lionel Messi have hit a concerning run of form, prompting first-year coach Javier Mascherano to acknowledge that “there are things that need to be corrected.”
Concacaf sets 2025/26 W Champions Cup dates with FIFA Women’s CWC slots on the line
May 13 – As the Concacaf 2024/25 W Champions Cup prepares for its final four stage in Monterrey, Mexico May 21-24 – América Femenil face Gotham FC and Tigres Femenil meet Thorns FC in the double header semi-finals – the confederation has released dates for its 2025/26 edition.
UEC proposes 5% ‘Player Development Reward’ fund to distribute cash from UEFA’s club comps
May 12 – The Union of European Clubs (UEC) has proposed an overhaul of how UEFA distributes funds from its club competitions to better recognise player development. It’s chances of any immediate implementation or discussion are slim with UEFA having already agreed a new distribution cycle that is currently in its first year of operation.
FIFA to expand Women’s World Cup to 48 teams in 2031 in the US
May 12 – Following the expansion of the FIFA men’s World Cup to 48 teams, the FIFA Council has unanimously approved plans to increase the Women’s World Cup (WWC) to the same number of participating countries.
The expansion will take place at the 2031 edition, which is expected to be hosted by the United States should they win what looks like an uncontested bid for hosting rights.
Cordeiro adds White House Task Force senior advisory role to FIFA duties
May 12 – The announcement last week of the personnel on the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026 was dominated by US president Donald Trump and the appointment of Andrew Guiliani, son of Trump’s former lawyer and former Mayor of New York Rudy Guiliani.
Buried underneath the political noise and posturing of the Task Force personnel was the news that FIFA also had a representative on key governmental working group.
FIFA to fill gender gap with women’s refugee team, but Afghan FA remains a FIFA member
May 12 – FIFA is to establish an Afghan women’s refugee football team, allowing exiled Afghan players to compete in matches recognised by the sport’s global governing body, but which will not count towards the country’s ranking.
What happens in the dressing room might not stay there. PL to debate opening doors to TV
May 12 – The dressing room in England – that sacred temple of half-time hairdryers, tactical diagrams and hot tea – has long been football’s final frontier of privacy. Now, in a move that would make even American sports blush, the Premier League is asking clubs to swing those doors wide open for the prying eye of television cameras.
UEFA hosts Fan Forum ahead of summer Euro finals
May 12 – UEFA has placed fan experience and engagement at the heart of its preparations for UEFA Women’s EURO 2025, hosting a dedicated Fan Forum in Switzerland this week for supporter representatives from all 16 participating nations.
FIFA raises maximum fine for racist abuse to $5.938 million
May 12 – FIFA has made a major update to its disciplinary code aimed at strengthening the fight against racism in football. The decisions were made during a virtual meeting of the FIFA Council.