By Samindra Kunti in Doha
May 11 – Qatar and Asian football took centre stage again on Thursday with the draw for the continental finals. The hosts will kick off their title defense against Lebanon, while Group D is shaping up as the “group of death” with Japan, Iraq, Vietnam, and Indonesia.
May 11 – FIFA may have reported record financial results at its Congress in Kigali last month, and an eye-catching $11 billion revenue projection for the present World Cup cycle until 2026, but concerns within FIFA’s membership are growing over the explosion of spending and increase in costs.
May 11 – Brazilian state prosecutors have charged 16 people, including seven professional players, with alleged match-fixing and illegal betting.
May 11 – The UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body has punished the football federations of Montenegro (FSCG) and Serbia (FSS) for racism and discriminatory behaviour by fans of both countries.
May 11 – It took Inter Milan just four minutes and two goals to take a huge step toward qualification for the Champions League final with a 2-0 defeat of city rivals AC Milan.
May 11 – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) commissioner Jessica Berman has said that the league is targeting 16 teams for the 2026 season.
May 11 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed that its Annual Awards will return this year after a four-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.
May 11 – The Saudi Arabian Football Association (SAFF) has signed another MoU with an African nation, this time with the Botswana Football Association (BFA) with a view to accelerating “the sport’s development in both countries and explore various areas of collaboration”.
May 11 – The increased importance of LaLiga to ‘Brand Spain’ has been recognised in a ranking that calculates the value and Brand Strength Index of leading companies and organisations.
May 10 – The draw for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 will take place tomorrow (Thursday) in Qatar, with the tournament itself set to kick off January 12.
May 10 – The ongoing and ugly dispute over the transfer to Cardiff City of Emiliano Sala from Nantes saw another loss to Cardiff in the in the Swiss Federal Court in Lausanne.
May 10 – San Diego is expected to be the next city to be awarded an MLS franchise with local media reporting that the announcement could be made this month with an expansion fee of $500 million.
May 10 – Brera Holdings has completed its acquisition of North Macedonia’s FC Akademija Pandev. The company acquired 90% of the club’s shares, with the value set at €600,000. The new owners said the club will be renamed Brera FC.
May 10 – Lionel Messi’s father has denied reports that his son – Paris Saint-Germain star and World Cup winner – will move to Saudi Arabia in a head-spinning money deal that some reports have pegged at $1 billion over two seasons.
May 10 – The second semi-final of the UEFA Champions League may be an all-Milan affair with AC against Inter, but AC Milan have opened up the derby to their fans worldwide inviting them to share their passion in the run-up to the first leg.