Clermont Foot take an unlikely step into France’s big league
By Andrew Warshaw
May 17 – Looking for a feelgood story amidst all the recent narrative of footballing greed and ego?
Author: Paul Nicholson
AFC’s Grassroots Football Day embraced by 41 MAs
May 17 – The Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) celebrated the return of its Grassroots Football Day over the weekend with more than 230,000 participants in member association activity across the region.
Barca blow Chelsea away to create Champions League history
May 17 – FC Barcelona blew Chelsea away 4-0 to win the Women’s Champions League and become the first club to win the both the European men’s and women’s Champions League competitions.
Mastercard partners with NWSL and drives gender equity platform
May 17 – Global payment and technology provider Mastercard is joining the National Women’s Soccer League as an official partner in a multi-year deal.
Kaizer Chiefs and Al Ahly target CAF Champions League final in Casablanca
May 17 – Chasing down an African Champions League final spot in Casablanca, Kaizer Chiefs registered an impressive 4-0 first-leg quarter-final win against Tanzania’s Simba to all but qualify for the last four. Defending champions Al Ahly from Egypt also to a step towards the semi-finals. defeating Mamelodi Sundowns 2-0.
Bundesliga clubs to vote on €500m private equity bidders
May 17 – The German Football League’s (DFL) raising of €500 million from venture capital markets will move into the next phase on Wednesday when club vote on plans that effectively move second round bidders into a final negotiation for a stake in the Bundesliga’s overseas rights.
Spanish judge asks European Court if UEFA’s ESL opposition breaks EU competition law
By Andrew Warshaw
May 14 – In a move that could potentially have seismic consequences, a Spanish court has referred opposition to the ill-fated European Super League by FIFA and UEFA to the European Court of Justice.
Portuguese plan in-and-out ‘bubble’ for Man City and Chelsea fans at UCL final
May 14 – English fans attending the Champions League final in Porto between Manchester City and Chelsea will have to fly in and out of the country on the day of the match, the Portuguese government has insisted.
Baltimore-Maryland makes its case for World Cup 2026 hosting
By Paul Nicholson
May 14 – With FIFA’s World Cup 2026 venue inspection team in full flow in terms of briefing, meeting and assessing potential city hosts, Baltimore on the East coast is one of 17 city hopefuls jostling for a final 10 host slot.
Conmebol hands showpiece club finals to Montevideo after Uruguayans inject influence
May 14 – Conmebol has picked Montevideo and the historic Estadio Centenario as the venue for the 2021 final of both its flagship club competitions, the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sul-Americana.
Man Utd fans cause more chaos at fortress Old Trafford ahead of Liverpool match
May 14 – Manchester United fans renewed their protests against club owners the Glazer family, with hundreds of supporters gathering outside Old Trafford on Thursday ahead of the team’s 4-2 defeat to Liverpool, which was postponed from two weeks ago when fans stormed Old Trafford.
Gold Cup anticipation heats up with Mexico to open in Texas, US in Kansas
May 14 – Mexico will start off their Gold Cup defence with group games based in North Texas (Arlington and Dallas). The US will play their group games in Kansas while guests Qatar, grouped with Honduras, will be centralised in Houston.
Argentina FA to join crypto community with Socios.com fan token launch
May 14 – Socios.com have expanded their blockchain driven Fan Token cryptocurrency platform from clubs to national federations, with The Argentine Football Association (AFA) being the first to sign on for the launch of the national team’s Official $ARG token.
Haaland and Sancho lead Dortmund to German Cup win over RB Leipzig
May 14 – Borussia Dortmund clinched the 78th German Cup with Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho spearheading a ruthless BVB to dismantle RB Leipzig 4-1 in a high-octane final.
LaLiga buys back beIN TV rights to US for new 8-year ESPN deal
May 14 – LaLiga has signed an 8-year deal with the streaming arm of US sports broadcaster ESPN. The deal covers English and Spanish language rights.