Sales platform eBay buys Serie A sponsorship; Bombeer in one-match deal
May 4 – Italy’s Serie A has signed and the online sales and auction platform eBay as an official partner across all its competitions.
News
Faulkner takes comms lead at ECA
May 4 – The European Club Association (ECA) has appointed former UEFA official Rob Faulkner as its new director of communications and marketing.
Brazil’s breakaway league ‘Libra’ signs key Rio and Sao Paulo clubs, talks ongoing with 14 others
By Samindra Kunti
May 4 – Brazilian football is moving rapidly towards the launch of the breakaway league ‘Libra’ with six of the country’s biggest clubs now signed up.
UEFA ends Russian women’s Euro 22 hopes as participation doors slammed shut across the sport
By Andrew Warshaw
May 3 – Any hopes Russia may have had of returning to the global footballing fold have been dashed by a swathe of strict new sanctions imposed by UEFA in the wake of the continued invasion of Ukraine.
Big money Infantino says migrant workers get ‘dignity and pride’ from tough work
May 3 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has claimed that migrant workers in Qatar, the hosts of the 2022 World Cup, gain pride from hard work.
Qatar 2022 ticket demand tops 23m in latest phase
May 3 – FIFA has said that fans from around at the world requested 23.5 million tickets in the latest sales phase for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Real Madrid’s LaLiga title makes it a Big 5-out-of-5 league wins for Ancelotti
May 3 – Carlo Ancelotti has become the first manager to capture the league title in each of Europe’s top five leagues – England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France.
Draw for Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in July pairs Nigeria and Africa in same group
May 3 – Paired in the same group, Nigeria and South Africa will headline the first round of the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco in July.
FIFA takes first blockchain steps with Algorand
May 3 – FIFA is entering the world of blockchain technology via a sponsorship and technical partnership with US business Algorand.
Out of contract. Super agent Mino Raiola dies, aged 54
May 3 – One of the game’s most colourful and controversial figures, football agent Mino Raiola died at the age of 54, his family confirmed on Saturday.
Senegal fined after World Cup 2022 qualifying win over Egypt
May 3 – FIFA has ordered Senegal to play one competitive match behind closed doors and has fined Senegal’s FA CHF175,000 for fan disorder at a World Cup playoff game, including shining laser pointers at Liverpool’s Egyptian star striker Mohamed Salah.
Ratcliffe enters race for Chelsea with £4.25bn ‘British bid’
May 2 – The UK’s richest man has made a late entry to the bidding for Chelsea football club, making an offer of £4.25 billion on Friday, believed to be largest commitment to buying the club than either of the two remaining bidders.
Serie A broadcasts debuts first live match in the metaverse in MENA
May 2 – Serie A broke new digital ground this weekend, with AC Milan’s 1-0 win over Fiorentina being the first football match ever broadcast on the metaverse.
European Leagues says UEFA’s new UCL format will damage domestic competitions
By Andrew Warshaw
April 29 – Europe’s major leagues have rekindled the fierce debate over the future format of the Champions League by urging UEFA to change tack in order to protect domestic football.
Abramovich calls on Chelsea bidders to put extra $500m into Ukraine war victim charity
April 29 – Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has asked the three groups bidding to buy club to stump up an extra £500 million which he wants to go to charity for victims of the war in Ukraine.