The FA closes gender pay gap while ethnicity pay gap also narrows
April 5 – The English Football Association has reported its gender pay gap has been reduced to 2.2%, which it says is below the national average of 15.5%.
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Concacaf draws teams for Nations League groups that will decide Gold Cup qualifiers
April 6 – Concacaf completed the draw for the second edition of the Concacaf Nations League (CNL) which will serve as a qualifier for the 2023 Gold Cup.
Van Dijk promises support for van Gaal and a World Cup to remember
April 5 – Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk says he wants to give coach Louis van Gaal “a World Cup to never forget” in Qatar later this year in the light of van Gaal’s health situation.
Crystal Dunn and Alphonso Davies scoop Concacaf Player of the Year awards
April 5 – US national team and Portland Thorns star Crystal Dunn has been named 2021 Concacaf Women’s player of the year, while Canada and Bayern Munich standout Alphonso Davies has taken the men’s award.
Conmebol and UEFA open joint London office, Finalissima sold out in a week
April 4 – The shared London office between Conmebol and UEFA was opened today (Monday) with the announcement that the first major project between the two confederations, the Finalissima match at Wembley between Argentina and Italy, is already sold out.
Qatar security chief warns fans against rainbow flags that ‘insult the whole society’
April 4 – Fans at the World Cup in Qatar may have rainbow flags confiscated by security in order to “protect” them against perceptions they are “insulting” local society, a senior official has claimed.
Van Gaal sick with prostate cancer but will still lead Dutch in Qatar
April 4 – Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal has revealed he is suffering from prostate cancer – but still plans to lead the side at the World Cup.
Concacaf to draw Nations League groups that will decide 2023 Gold Cup qualification
April 4 – Concacaf is sticking with the 12-team Gold Cup Prelims as the route to deciding the final places at the 16-team 2023 Gold Cup, with its Nations League.
CBF won’t block a new club-owned top tier league, says Rodrigues
By Samindra Kunti in Doha
April 4 – The new president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) Ednaldo Rodrigues has confirmed that the governing body will leading clubs to form a new league, a move that gathered momentum last year as the CBF struggled with another institutional crisis.
World Cup draw hands hosts a tough draw as political posturing makes way for football, almost
By Samindra Kunti in Doha
April 3 – World Cup hosts Qatar were handed a tough draw in Group A alongside the Netherlands, Ecuador and Senegal. Group B will be home to geo-political intrigue, with all of England, Iran and the United States paired and former champions Spain and Germany will meet in Group E in a draw that proved to be balanced but without a group of death.
Re-elected Dominguez says he prefers building with Europe over a biennial World Cup
By Samindra Kunti in Doha
April 1 – Alejandro Dominguez, newly re-elected as president of Conmebol, wasted no time in saying he preferred the idea of South American teams participating in the Nations League over a biennial World Cup.
Premier League clubs to adopt 5 subs rule
April 1 – English Premier League clubs will be able to make five substitutions in each game from next season after shareholders agreed to change the rules.
Biennial World Cup? Not our proposal, Infantino tells FIFA Congress
By Andrew Warshaw
April 1 – Perhaps in the knowledge that nearly all of football’s stakeholders are united in opposition, Gianni Infantino tried to distance himself from the highly controversial idea of staging the World Cup every two years by telling the world on Thursday that FIFA never actually proposed the plan in the first place.
Ukraine FA chief sends video reminder from front while Russian FA bosses lap up FIFA luxuries
April 1 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino may have stopped short of holding Russia accountable for the war in Ukraine during Thursday’s FIFA Congress, but the appearance by video of the head of Ukrainian football wearing an armoured vest and making an impassioned plea from the streets of Kyiv presented a very clear message to those in the auditorium.
World Cup draw promises legends, entertainment and the inevitable group of death
By Samindra Kunti in Doha
April 1 – After a dramatic FIFA Congress with a courageous and powerful speech by the Norwegian FA president Lise Klaveness, attention has now shifted to the World Cup draw that will decide the group match-ups and brackets for the 32 participants.