Alves rape trial starts in Barcelona
February 5 – The long-anticipated trial of former Brazilian star Dani Alves got under way today in Barcelona as he faced accusations of raping a woman in a local nightclub.
Legal
Spanish judge rules Rubiales will face criminal trial over Hermoso kiss
January 26 – A Spanish judge on Thursday proposed that disgraced former national federation chief Luis Rubiales be tried over the kiss he forced on Women’s World Cup star Jenni Hermoso without her consent.
Benzema files defamation suit against Gerald Darmanin for suggested Muslim Brotherhood links
January 17 – French football icon Karim Benzema has filed a defamation lawsuit against the country’s interior minister for accusing him last year of having “notorious” links with the Muslim Brotherhood.
French players’ union seeks protection for players from ‘moral coercion’ by clubs
January 16 – In a rare move, France’s main football union is launching legal action to protect professional players from the mental pressure their clubs put on them when they are cold-shouldered until they sign a new contract or agree to just leave.
Antalyaspor’s Jehezkel arrested over displaying supposed pro-Israeli message after scoring
January 15 – A Turkish-based Israeli player faces prosecution for showing solidarity during a goal celebration with the hostages taken in the October 7 Hamas attacks.
Ankaragucu’s former ref beating president tells court he did not threaten to kill him
January 10 – The former president of Turkish top flight club Ankaragucu, Faruk Koca, told a court on Tuesday that he regretted attacking the referee at the end of a league game but denied threatening to kill him.
Three years after his death, Maradona is cleared of tax evasion
January 8 – Italy’s highest court has cleared the late Argentine legend Diego Maradona of tax evasion charges, ending a 30-year-long legal battle.
French court gives Algeria’s Youcef Atal suspended jail sentence for posting hate video
January 4 – Nice’s Algerian international Youcef Atal (pictured), already having served a seven-match ban dished out by French football authorities, has now been handed an eight-month suspended jail term for sharing an anti-Semitic message on social media relating to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Hermoso gives testimony in Spain as judge decide whether to take Rubiales case to trial
January 3 – Spanish World Cup-winning star Jenni Hermoso told a judge on Tuesday that the kiss forced on her by disgraced former Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales was “at no point consensual” and that she had come under pressure to defend his actions.
European Court rules blocking of European Super League broke EU competition law
By Andrew Warshaw
December 21 – In a bombshell decision that could have significant ramifications, the European Court of Justice ruled today that UEFA and FIFA broke EU competition rules by attempting to block the seemingly doomed breakaway Super League.
Alves rape trial date set for February
December 21 – Brazil and Barcelona star Dani Alves’ trial for alleged sexual assault will start February 5.
VAR error contributed to Espanyol regulation, rules Spanish court
December 15 – In a rare case of seeking justice for a wrong VAR decision, a Spanish judge has ruled in favour of Espanyol whose relegation in May was partly precipitated by a ‘ghost’ goal scored by opponents Atletico Madrid.
Sunak offers another Tory apology for Hillsborough disaster, but shies away from new laws
December 6 – The British Government has stopped short of introducing a so-called ‘Hillsborough Law’ called for by campaigners in its response to a report into the experiences of the bereaved families.
Ronaldo sued in US for $1bn over his promotion of crypto exchange Binance
November 30 – Cristiano Ronaldo is in the news again, this time named in a $1billion class action lawsuit in the United States over his involvement with Binance , the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world.
Spanish prosecutors seek 10-year jail term for Alves’ alleged night club rape
November 24 – Prosecutors are seeking a nine-year prison sentence for Brazilian star Dani Alves, one of the most decorated players in world football, for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman last year.