USL expands again with launch of second tier pro-women’s league
September 22 – The United Soccer League has announced the launch of a professional women’s league that will operate as the second tier of women’s club soccer in the US.
News
Cambodian prince offers €100m for Saint-Étienne
September 22 – Cambodian prince Norodom Ravichak has expressed interested in taking over Saint-Étienne, reportedly offering €100 million for the Ligue 1 club.
Eto’o brands Cameroonian FA boss Ngoya ‘a failure’ as he enters election race
September 22 – Samuel Eto’o has announced his candidacy for the presidency of the Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot), labelling the tenure of the governing body’s current interim president Seidou Mbombo Njoya “a failure”.
UEFA unveils 2022 Champions League final branding
September 22 – UEFA has unveiled the branding for the 2022 UEFA Champions League final to be played at the Gazprom Arena in Saint Petersburg.
A gentle slap? FIFA sanction Hungary for monkey gestures, racist chants, and throwing objects
September 22 – Hungary have been handed a two-match stadium ban, one of them deferred, and been fined CHF200,000 by FIFA after England players were subjected to racist abuse in a World Cup Qualifier earlier this month.
Liverpool to press ahead with Anfield expansion to 60,000+
September 22 – Liverpool have confirmed the club will move forward with Anfield’s expansion with stadium capacity set to top 60,000. Groundwork for the expansion is expected to start this week.
England women’s coach Wiegman says biennial World Cup is too much
September 22 – The newly appointed head coach of the England women’s team, Sarina Wiegman, is the latest high-profile figure to publicly oppose plans to make the World Cup a biennial event.
Spanish judge orders UEFA to drop Real Madrid, Barca and Juve sanctions
September 21 – A Spanish judge has provocatively handed UEFA a five-day deadline to lift sanctions against Super League rebels Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus – or suffer the consequences.
Infantino investigator Keller to keep Swiss immunity following removal from case
September 21 – Swiss judicial authorities have reportedly declined to lift the immunity granted to former special prosecutor Stefan Keller, meaning he himself cannot be prosecuted for allegedly revealing confidential information about an investigation linked to FIFA.
Lens ordered to play two home game behind closed doors after fan violence
September 21 – French top-flight club Lens have been ordered to play at least two home games behind closed doors as a punishment for last weekend’s pitch invasion during the local derby with northern rivals Lille.
Alonso takes anti-racism stand, but not the knee
September 21 – Marcos Alonso is no longer taking the knee because he believes the gesture is “losing a bit of strength”. Instead, the Chelsea player has opted to point at the anti-racism message on the sleeve of his shirt.
Liverpool flexes its sustainability credentials with SC Johnson partnership
September 21 – Premier League Liverpool have added SC Johnson as the club’s official cleaning and disinfectant partner, in a partnership that will include a focus on supporting its sustainability initiative.
Wolves band with Warner Music to launch record label
September 21 – Wolverhampton Wanderers have partnered with Warner Music UK’s Alternative Distribution Alliance to launch ‘Wolves Records’, the first record label by a UK football club.
188Bet scores Asian double with Liverpool and Bayern deals
September 21 – Asian online bookmaker 188Bet has signed three-year partnerships with Liverpool and Bayern Munich football clubs.
Euro coaches body ‘unconditionally’ backs UEFA in opposition to ‘Wenger plan’
September 20 – Europe’s umbrella coaches association AEFCA (Alliance of European Football Coaches’ Associations) has become the latest football stakeholder to condemn FIFA’s proposal to move the men’s World Cup to a biennial cycle.