Uzbekistan and Thailand to host Asian Champions League East group stages
May 10 – Uzbekistan has stepped up as host for the final two unallocated AFC Champions League (East) groups, to be played June 25-June 11.
Author: Paul Nicholson
Super League rebels fined but UEFA keeps club comps open for them
May 10 – Nine of the 12 rebel clubs who joined the ill-fated European Super League, including England’s so-called big six, have made their peace with UEFA by signing a letter of apology and agreeing to donate millions of dollars to the grassroots game.
Man Utd fans hit club where it most hurts as THG rethink £200m deal
May 10 – While the sanctions issued by UEFA to the European Super League rebel clubs are being regarded by many, in the Premier League in particular, as nominal, Manchester United face a far more financially painful outcome with the loss of the club’s training kit sponsorship.
Infantino promises new Women’s Club World Cup will revolutionise game
May 2 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino (pictured) has once again floated the idea of a new Women’s Club World Cup, saying the competition “is coming soon”.
Bayern take ninth consecutive title as Rummenigge prepares handover to Kahn
May 10 – Bayern Munich were crowned German champions for a ninth successive season after Robert Lewandwoski’s hat-trick helped the Bavarians to a 6-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach and Dortmund defeated closest rivals RB Leipzig 3-2.
Player wage control and capped squad sizes will keep costs managed, says Infantino
May 10 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has again personally endorsed the need for salary caps and smaller squad sizes to stop the game’s finances spiralling out of control.
Derby’s battle for Championship survival will be about money, not just points
By Paul Nicholson
May 7 – The English Championship finishes its season tomorrow with focus not on promotion but on the relegation battle between two of England’s former club giants turned financial horror stories.
Palestinian youth player from Balata FC shot dead in Israeli assault
By Paul Nicholson
May 7 – Palestinian football is mourning the loss of Sa’id Yousef Odeh, a 16 year old player from the current league champions Balata FC’s youth team, who was shot dead this week by an Israeli soldier.
CAF stadium bans force postponement of Qatar 2022 qualifiers
May 7 – A ban on several stadia across the African continent has led to the widely anticipated postponement of several World Cup qualifiers that were scheduled for June.
Serie A partners with Crypto.com and NFTs from Atalanta vs Juve Coppa Italia final
May 7 – Italy’s Serie A has become the first football league to embrace the potential of cryptocurrency, unveiling Crypto.com as a partner and launching the collaboration at the Atalanta vs Juventus Coppa Italia final (May 19) with a special NFT collection, including the official trophy and match highlights.
FIFPro and KPMG combine for data platform monitoring player workloads
May 7 – Players’ union FIFPro as part of a three-year co-operation with the KPMG Football benchmark team, has launched a Player Workload Monitoring (PWM) platform.
Arsenal’s goon show continues as they crash out of Europa League
May 7 – Arsenal’s season came crashing down on Thursday with a damaging exit from the Europa League, following a goalless draw against Villarreal in their second-leg semi-final, raising the spectre of no European football for the first time in a quarter of a century for the North London club.
RedBird lands on Malaga, acquiring minority stake
May 7 – RedBird Capital Partners have invested in plagued Spanish club Malaga, building a football club portfolio alongside Fenway Sports Group (FSG).
Sheeran and Ipswich Town strike an accord with one-season shirt deal
May 7 – Musician Ed Sheeran has become a shirt sponsor of Ipswich Town, once a powerhouse of the English game but in modern times a middling League one club.
Bayern and Canadian ace Davies to launch NFT on Binance crypto platform
May 7 – Bayern Munich and Canadian starAlphonso Davies has become one of the world’s first players to embrace cryptocurrency opportunities with the planned launch of a Non-Fungible Token (NFT) collection in June 2021.