May 20 – UEFA has issued a warning to fans ahead of the club competition finals not to buy tickets on the secondary market, from unauthorised third parties, websites, agencies or from touts.
May 19 – In potentially the richest match either team has ever played, Major League Soccer’s (MLS) LAFC and Liga MX’s Club América will face off in a crucial Club World Cup qualifying playoff match on May 31 at BMO Stadium. The victor will be just seven matches away from a potential $125 million payday should they win the entire tournament.
May 19 – The Gambling Commission in the UK is increasing oversight of unlicensed gambling operations, issuing warnings to five Premier League clubs for promoting unlicensed gambling websites.
League Cup winners, Newcastle United, Fulham, Bournemouth, Wolves, and newly-promoted Burnley are all sponsored by betting websites operated by TGP Europe, based in the Isle of Man. Clubs who continue advertising these websites could face prosecution.
May 19 – The UEFA Executive Committee, most of whom spent last week in Paraguay at the FIFA Congress, will convene in Bilbao, Spain, on Wednesday May 21 ahead of the Europa League final between Spurs and Manchester United.
May 19 – After 119 years of trying (and quite a bit of crying), Crystal Palace finally got their hands on some silverware, beating Manchester City 1-0 at Wembley to claim the FA Cup. Yes, you read that right – Manchester City, the mini-state juggernaut, were undone by a team whose trophy cabinet would fit under Pep Guardiola’s left fingernail, the one he scratches himself with.
May 19 – Everton bid an emotional farewell to Goodison Park, their home for 133 years, with a 2-0 Premier League victory over Southampton on Sunday — a day filled with nostalgia, celebration, and no shortage of tears.
May 19 – Samir Xaud, president-elect of the Roraima Football Federation, will be the only candidate in the election to replace Ednaldo Rodrigues as the president of the Brazilian FA (CBF).
May 19 – Everton’s new home at Bramley-Moore Dock will officially be known as the Hill Dickinson Stadium, following a landmark naming rights agreement with the Liverpool-based legal firm reportedly worth £10 million a year.
May 19 – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has announced that any future matches featuring life-threatening emergencies will be abandoned, following Angel City FC’s Savy King collapsing on the pitch during a game against the Utah Royals on May 9.
May 19 – The growth of women’s football in England continues to accelerate with the Football Association (FA) announcing the first-ever stand-alone broadcast deal for the Adobe Women’s FA Cup. The competition will air on TNT Sports and Channel 4 in the UK and Republic of Ireland from the 2025-26 season.
May 19 – England’s Women’s Super League is rebranding with new names and visual identity as the women’s professional game continues its transition from FA control.
May 19 – Liverpool have opened its first standalone retail store in Denmark. The new outlet, located in the heart of Copenhagen’s Jørcks Passage, was unveiled by former Liverpool and Denmark defender Daniel Agger in a launch event that brought the club’s brand directly to fans in the region.
May 19 – Conmebol and UEFA met on the sidelines of the FIFA Congress in Paraguay last week to discuss the staging of the second edition of the men’s Finalissima, the single match intercontinental championship between the winners of the 2024 Copa America and the 2024 Euro.
May 19 – The Football Association of Serbia (FSS) is to support all women’s clubs in the Serbian Super League and First League with the supply of a full kit, consisting of a shirt, shorts, and socks.
By James Dostoyevsky
Sometimes, when you set out to debone a Branzino, it fools you and turns out to be a Fugu in disguise.
That’s a bit like a football administrator who turns out to be a narcissistic megalomaniac, completely mistaking himself for a global statesman, when he’s no more than a mediocre village idiot.