Premier League goes to the wire with title, survival and Europe all to play for
By Andrew Warshaw
May 20 – Rarely, if ever, has the final day of a Premier League season made for such a thrilling climax at both ends of the table.
Author: Paul Nicholson
FIFA name three female refs to Qatar 2022 officials roster
May 20 – In a historic first, Stéphanie Frappart of France, Rwanda’s Salima Mukansanga and Yoshimi Yamashita of Japan, three women, have been chosen among the 36 referees to officiate at the World Cup in Qatar, FIFA announced on Thursday.
Canada Soccer under fire for hosting World Cup warm-up against Iran
May 20 – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has criticised the country’s football authorities for inviting Iran to play a friendly next month, saying the move is ill-advised.
Copenhagen to host FIFAe World Cup, Club World Cup and Nations Cup in July
May 19 – Copenhagen in Denmark will host the first-ever combined FIFAe Finals in July with the three championship – FIFAe World Cup, FIFAe Club World Cup and FIFAe Nations Cup – being played July 14-30.
Bundesliga adds another four years to its SKY Mexico broadcast deal
May 19 – Following on from the announcement of an MoU with Mexico’s Liga MX, Germany’s Bundesliga has reinforced its position in Mexico and Central America with a four-year extension to its TV deal with subscription broadcaster SKY Mexico.
Women’s Euro 2022 activates new Girlguiding partnership to drive football participation
May 19 – The leading UK charity for girls and young women, Girlguiding, has agreed a one-year partnership with UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 have teamed up to challenge gender stereotypes and help more girls and young women get into football.
Benfica Foundation signs up to SIGA’s sport integrity mission
May 19 – The Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) has signed a co-operation agreement with the Benfica Foundation, the non-profit organisation that leads on the Portuguese club’s social programmes.
Matt Scott: An explosion of truth could blow everything up at Chelsea
“Quand on enferme la vérité sous terre, elle s’y amasse, elle y prend une force telle d’explosion, que, le jour où elle éclate, elle fait tout sauter avec elle.” Émile Zola, J’accuse
Human rights groups call for $440m compensation fund for Qatar’s migrant workers
By Andrew Warshaw
May 19 – Amnesty International, Football Supporters Europe and eight other human rights and fan groups have collectively urged FIFA to put up a minimum $440 million – roughly the equivalent of World Cup prize money – as a compensation fund for hundreds of thousands of migrant workers they claim have suffered abuses in preparation for the tournament in November.
UEFA backtracks on €6bn covid-relief fund for clubs
May 19 – European governing body UEFA is reportedly shelving plans for a multi-billion euro financial package that was originally designed to help European football recover from the global health crisis.
AFC U17 and U20 draws mark full return to elite men’s football in Asia
May 19 – The AFC will broaden the base of is return from the covid pandemic next week with the draw (May 24) for the AFC U17 Asian Cup Bahrain 2023 and AFC U20 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2023.
Ukraine continue build up for Scotland qualifier with win in Italy
May 19 – Wearing the message United for Ukraine on their shirts, Ukraine’s national men’s team won its second straight friendly since the Russian invasion by beating Italian Serie A club Empoli 3-1.
Eintracht beat Rangers on penalties after Europa Cup night of passion and drama
May 19 – Eintracht Frankfurt ended their 42-year European trophy drought on Wednesday by beating Rangers 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw to lift the Europa League in a nail-biting final that will be remembered for the display of passion by both sets of fans in Seville.
Saudis hire Larguet to drive player development and push for place amongst world’s elite
May 19 – The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) is reinforcing its player development pathway as it targets a ranking among the world’s elite football nations by the time World Cup 2034.
Top stars on the move as season ends and Qatar 2022 selections near
May 19 – The 2021/22 season is ending and the transfer race for the big names across the leagues in Europe has begun. While most of these player moves will be for better financial conditions, this is a unique year and it is likely many moves will be made just for a guarantee of playing time.