Chelsea respond to ESL criticism by opening board to fan reps
May 5 – In the wake of the European Super League (ESL) protests, Chelsea have become the first of the English breakaway clubs to introduce fan representation at board meetings.
Author: Paul Nicholson
Motsepe goes back to school with $10m foundation grant for CAF youth comp
May 5 – On a visit to Ivory Coast, Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe announced that the Motsepe Foundation will donate $10 million for the establishment of a pan-African schools championship organised under the umbrella of both CAF and FIFA.
Kenya’s Zoo FC to appeal expulsion from Premier League for match-fixing
May 5 – In another blow to Kenyan football, Premier League club Zoo FC have been sanctioned for suspected match fixing, and relegated the club from the domestic Premier League.
Bulgarian police to work with Sportradar in war on match-fixing
May 5 – Sports betting integrity specialist Sportradar, which services a bulk of national federations and confederations with its bet monitoring systems, has taken the battle against match-fixing a step further with an MoU with the General Directorate National Police of Bulgaria.
AFC delivers Champions League West qualifiers with new faces amongst the old order
May 4 – The AFC completed the group stages of its The 2021 Champions League (West) last Friday with a number of last minute surprises that saw some of the region’s biggest clubs miss out on Round of 16 slots in what was an exciting end to group play.
Premier League sets up ‘owner’s charter’ to curb any ESL breakaway repeat
May 4 – The English Premier League has taken action to prevent its clubs threatening to break away again and join any future European Super League.
FIFA bans Joseph over her role in Haitian sexual abuse scandal
May 4 – FIFA’s Ethics Committee has banned another former employee of the Haitian Football Association (FHF) for 10 years as part of its investigation into multiple allegations of sexual abuse of female players in the Caribbean nation.
Covid casualty: North Korean uncertainty over participation in Asian Qualifiers
May 4 – North Korea have reportedly withdrawn from the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup because of fears over the Covid-19 pandemic.
Man Utd will have 2,000 tickets for Europa League final, if they complete their Italian job
May 4 – UEFA have launched a limited tickets sales process for the Europa League final in Poland’s Gdansk where up to 9,500 fans will be allowed to attend the showpiece match, following confirmation by local authorities.
Inter break Juventus grip of Serie A, Ajax dynasty rolls on
May 4 – Inter Milan ended Juventus’ domination of Italian football by winning the Serie A and Ajax claimed a 35th Dutch title at the weekend.
English FA hard hit by covid but still in profit
By David Owen
May 4 – The Football Association managed to report a small profit and to invest nearly £150 million in the sport in 2019-20, in spite of being hard hit by the early months of the covid pandemic.
German FA boss Keller under pressure as regions call on him to step down
May 4 – Pressure is mounting daily on German FA boss Fritz Keller to resign for comparing his DFB deputy with infamous Nazi judge Roland Freisler, plunging the hierarchy of German football’s administration into fresh chaos reminiscent of past scandals.
Man Utd fans storm Old Trafford in protest over Glazer ownership. Liverpool game postponed
May 3 – In an unprecedented fallout from the aborted European Super League, the English Premier League was forced to abandon one of its showpiece games of the season, Manchester United versus Liverpool, on Sunday amid mass protests over United’s American owners.
UEFA and FIFA join four-day social media blackout protesting online racist abuse
By Andrew Warshaw
April 30 – English football’s boycott of social media in protest against the current scourge of online racist abuse has been joined by FIFA and UEFA as well as a number of other sports.
Turkish lockdown won’t change Istanbul venue for UCL final, says UEFA
April 30 – European governing body UEFA has said that the Champions League final in Istanbul will go ahead as planned at the end of May despite Turkey’s recent spike in coronavirus cases.