Ajax offer fans season ticket refunds
April 8 – Ajax Amsterdam will offer season ticket holders a full or partial refund for the matches they have missed out on this season, the Dutch club has announced.
News
Maracana to keep name unchanged after Rio flirts with Pele tribute
April 8 – Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Maracana stadium won’t be renamed after Pele following a decision by state legislators. The proposal for a name change had been mired in controversy.
Brand Spain: Santander renews LaLiga title sponsorship for further two years
April 8 – Banco Santander has renewed its title sponsorship of LaLiga for a further two years, with the option to extend for a further year until 2023-24.
FIFA suspends Pakistan until ‘hostile takeover’ of PFF HQ is ended
By Andrew Warshaw
April 7 – Not for the first time, Pakistan football has been plunged into disarray after the country was handed an international ban by FIFA for ‘third-party interference’ following a coup by former leaders of the national federation (PFF).
AEK owner Melissanidis faces life ban and points deduction for club
By Paul Nicholson
April 7 – Controversial AEK Athens owner Dimitris Melissanidis has again hit the headlines in Greece where he could be facing a life ban from football.
Serie A faces €150m drop in TV income after failure to back beIN over piracy row
April 7 – The financial fall out of Serie A’s failure to back beIN Sport in its battle against piracy and in particular Saudi-focussed BeoutQ has now come home to roost via a drop in overseas broadcast rights that could be as much as €150 million annually.
Towering £125m loss for Man City, as wage bill streaks past Man Utd
By David Owen
April 7 – Premier League champions-elect Manchester City plunged heavily into the red during the covid-impacted 2019-20 season, posting a king-sized pre-tax loss of £125.1 million.
FIFA issues tenders for unbundled Women’s World Cup media rights
April 7 – Just days after the nine hosts cities for the 2023 Women’s World Cup were announced, FIFA has opened invitations to tender for the media rights to the tournament in both host markets, Australia and New Zealand.
UEFA hands Kudela ‘token’ one match suspension for racist abuse ahead of full hearing
April 7 – Slavia Prague defender Ondrej Kudela, who was at the centre of a racism storm last month, has been provisionally suspended for one game by UEFA ahead of a full hearing.
EFL clubs protest transfer embargo arguing rules don’t follow UK’s new Covid laws
April 7 – Ten clubs from the English Football League Championship placed under a transfer embargo last month are arguing that the English Football League (EFL) rules have not taken into account new government rules on company filings and that they are being unlawfully restricted.
Hertha Berlin sack coach over homophobic and anti-migrant views
April 7 – Bundesliga outfit Hertha Berlin have dismissed their goalkeeping coach Zsolt Petry over homophobic and anti-migrant comments that he made in an interview with Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet, citing that Petry’s values were incompatible with those of the club.
PayPal buys into MLS with stadium naming rights at San Jose Earthquakes
April 7 – MLS team San Jose Earthquakes have sealed a ten-year stadium naming rights deal with PayPal in a deal estimated at more than $20 million, according to local sources.
AC Milan and BMW gear up for stylishly ‘holisitc’ partnership
April 7 – BMW has agreed a sponsorship with AC Milan to become one of the club’s premium sponsors as its ‘Automotive Partner’.
Motsepe rewards Jordaan’s support with key advisory role at CAF
April 6 – South Africa’s leading football official Danny Jordaan (pictured right) has been appointed as a special advisor on sports and marketing to African supremo Patrice Motsepe (pictured left).
FIFA hands out $45m in loans under covid relief plan, but $1.5bn is available
By David Owen
April 5 – FIFA doled out not far off $50 million of interest-free loans to national associations during the first six months when its covid-19 relief plan was in operation.