Romanian clubs boost investment in academies
May 17 – Romania’s top tier clubs have invested €11.5 million in their youth academies over the last 2023/24 season, according to figures from by the Romanian Football Federation (FRF).
Author: Paul Nicholson
Palestine, 2027 World Cup vote and racism to take centrestage at FIFA Congress
By Samindra Kunti in Bangkok
May 16 – On Friday, Palestine, the 2027 Women’s World Cup, a series of amendments to the FIFA Statutes and racism will take centre stage at the FIFA Congress in the Thai capital.
CFG told to reduce shareholding in Man City or Girona to clear both teams for UCL
May 15 – Manchester City and their sister club Girona will not both be able to compete in next season’s Champions League unless the Abu Dhabi owners reduce their shareholding in one or other of the two, UEFA has ruled.
Norway’s Klaveness critical of FIFA’s 2034 World Cup non-transparent bid process
May 16 – On the sidelines of the FIFA Congress, Norwegian FA (NFF) president Lise Klaveness has criticised the bidding process of the 2034 World Cup, with Saudi Arabia the sole candidate to stage the tournament.
Shaikh Salman says AFC’s solidarity with Palestine FA is ‘resolute’ in call for Israeli sanctions
May 16 – AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has given his unequivocal backing to the Palestine FA’s proposal for FIFA to take action against the Israeli FA in line with both FIFA’s and the AFC’s statutory objectives.
Premier League clubs to vote on removal of VAR
May 16 – After a season of highly contentious, sometimes game-changing VAR decisions, English Premier League clubs are set to vote on scrapping the system this summer.
Australia and Uzbekistan awarded 2026 and 2029 hosting rights toAFC Women’s Asian Cup
May 15 – The Asian Confederation has awarded hosting of its 2026 and 2029 AFC Women’s Asian Cup competitions to Australia and Uzbekistan.
Infantino calls for unity but stops short of backing action against horrors of Israel’s Palestinian assault
May 14 – Addressing the 34th AFC Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, FIFA president Gianni Infantino called for unity amongst world football’s federations but stopped short of proposing any concrete action against Israel over the war on Hamas and the resulting destruction of Gaza and the knock-on effect in the West Bank for all Palestinians.
Rodgers turns Celtic season around to win SPL title after a difficult start to his return
May 16 – The usual two-horse race in Scottish football has once again gone Celtic’s way after the green side of Glasgow wrapped up their 54th title, and 12th in the last 13 seasons, with a game to spare after a 5-0 thrashing of Kilmarnock on Wednesday.
Bayern rethink taxi for Tuchel after no replacement can be found, reports
May 16 – Bayern Munich are reportedly considering a u-turn to keep Thomas Tuchel as manager after encountering problems in their attempts to replace him.
Salman points to success of Asian Cup 2023 as the AFC’s platform for further growth
May 16 – Speaking after the AFC Executive Committee meeting and before Thursday’s AFC Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has emphasised that the Asian Cup Qatar 2023, played in January/February this year, will prove a breakthrough moment for the confederation.
Op-ed: A vote for BNG2027 at Friday’s FIFA Congress is a vote in support of FIFA’s ambition to accelerate and deepen the development of women’s football globally!
FIFA’s 211 Member Associations are gathering in Bangkok, Thailand for world football’s governing body’s 74th annual Congress. This Congress will address a number of important matters impacting the future of the game across the world, not least women’s football.
Ten Hag issues rallying cry at Old Trafford for season saving finish
May 16 – Manchester United registered a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Newcastle United on Wednesday night, but the headlines were snatched by Erik Ten Hag’s post-match speech.
Prime ministers of Belgium, Germany and Netherlands send pre-Congress message to FIFA’s federations
May 16 – In a last-minute round of lobbying before the vote at Friday’s FIFA Congress for the hosting of the 2027 Women’s World Cup, the prime ministers of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands have recorded a video pledging their support and commitment to their joint BNG2027 bid.
Man City’s Rodri tops world ranking of players who have had the most impact this season
May 16 – Manchester City’s midfield maestro Rodri has been ranked the most impactful player in world football as the Spaniard eyes a fourth straight Premier League title this weekend.