Streaming giant OneFootball pushes into NFTs market with official Argentine FA sales platform
May 12 – The Argentine FA is to launch a personalised NFT platform with streaming platform OneFootball.
News
Ceferin says football is a loser in the Ukraine war after a year of winning big battles
By Andrew Warshaw
May 11 – From staving off the threat of a breakaway super league to organising the Euros in 11 countries during an unprecedented pandemic to ploughing all but three percent of its budget back into football, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin today issued a point-by-point appraisal of his organisation’s achievements over the past year.
Infantino keeps up defense of Qatar’s human rights record and calls for peace in Ukraine
By Samindra Kunti in Vienna
May 11 – Gianni Infantino has said that the “the undeniable progress” on migrant worker rights host nation Qatar has made will be part of the 2022 World Cup legacy.
EC’s Schinas tells UEFA Congress that Super League must never be allowed to happen
By Samindra Kunti in Vienna
May 11 – European Commission vice-president Margaritis Schinas has told UEFA that the EU will act “to defend the football model” against any attempts to bring back the European Super League.
Ceferin defends keeping Russia as a UEFA member as sanctions re-inforced
By Andrew Warshaw
May 11 – UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has defended the decision not to throw the Russian federation and its officials out of his organisation, implying that would be one step too far in terms of punishments imposed as a result of the invasion of Ukraine.
UEFA agrees new UCL format but scraps ‘grandfathered’ slots and drops two match days
By Andrew Warshaw
May 11 – Buffeted by criticism from leagues and fans, UEFA has scrapped plans to hand Champions League places to clubs based on past success.
FIFA games with EA Sports for final ’23 edition but promises launch of multiple new titles
May 11 – The separation of EA Sports and its FIFA gaming franchise from the world governing body will take another edition before completion. EA Sports will release a FIFA 23 title this year before renaming the world’s biggest football video game EA Sports FC.
Atletico set to complete €40m WhaleFin deal as new main sponsor
May 11 – Atletico Madrid look set to replace Plus500 with cryptocurrency trading platform WhaleFin as their new main shirt sponsor from next season.
UEFA ‘clusters’ matches for Euro 2024 with opener in Munich and final in Berlin
May 11 – The Euro 2024 championships in Germany will open at the Fussball Arena in Munich, and close with the final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
Liverpool vs Real Madrid; €998m vs €816m; €276m defense vs €242m attack
May 10 – UEFA has added a new club competition this season but it is still clubs from the Big 5 leagues that are dominating the final rounds. A report by Football Benchmark links that dominance directly to player and squad values.
FIFA tells Brazil and Argentina to replay abandoned 2022 World Cup qualifier
May 10 – Even though it is a meaningless fixture, the abandoned 2022 World Cup qualifier between Brazil and Argentina will have to be replayed after FIFA rejected appeals from both national federations.
Belgian clubs protest betting ad ban that will see 12% of revenue lost
May 10 – Belgian football has expressed grave concerns over an impending ban on betting ads in the country, with Pro League CEO Lorin Parys (pictured) demanding urgent talks to prevent clubs from losing a major revenue stream.
FIFA awards Rohr bumper compensation after Nigerian sacking
May 10 – FIFA has ordered the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to pay former coach Gernot Rohr just under $380,000 in compensation after the governing body dismissed the German late last year.
Roma vs Feyenoord Conference League Final tickets on sale
May 10 – UEFA has opened ticket sales for Conference League final between AS Roma and Feyenoord exclusively via UEFA.com.
Botswana and Namibia plan joint bid for AFCON 2027
May 10 – Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe is reported to be in favour of a joint bid from Botswana and Namibia to co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.