Colombia and Conmebol accuse FIFA 2023 bid inspectors of discrimination
June 18 – A major row has broken over FIFA’s assessment of candidates to stage the 2023 women’s World Cup.
News
Flamengo and Rio mayor push on with restart despite other clubs refusing to play
June 18 – What Flamengo wants, Flamengo gets. The Brazilian champions have pressed on with ‘Project Restart’ for weeks and on Thursday they will play Bangu at the Maracana in the Carioca championship after the city’s mayor green-lighted the resumption of play.
Ceferin suggests French league finish was premature
June 18 – UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has commented for the first time publicly on the decision to shut down French football while every other major league is restarting.
Premier League returns but VAR once again provides the game changing talking point
June 18 – The Premier League resumed Wednesday night after being struck down by Covid-19, but what on earth happened to VAR?
German authorities refuse DFB request to bump up stadium limit to 1,000 for Cup final
June 18 – Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich will play the German cup final behind closed doors after local authorities rejected a request from the German FA (DFB) for fans to attend the match.
English leagues could see fans in stadia as early as September
June 17 – Small crowds could potentially return to English stadiums in September if there is no significant increase in the number of Covid-19 deaths and infections, according to Britain’s Culture Secretary.
UEFA confirm Lisbon Champions League finale with option of fans attending still open
By Andrew Warshaw
June 17 – This season’s Champions League, suspended in March at the last-16 stage because of the Covid-19 pandemic, will be completed with a mouth-watering eight-team knockout tournament held in Lisbon over 12 days in August, UEFA confirmed today following a meeting of its executive committee.
With Brazil in full corona-crisis, Flamengo head to Maracana to restart Carioca
June 17 – Brazilian champions Flamengo are pressing on with ‘Project Restart’ in Rio de Janeiro, but local rivals Botafogo and Fluminense have said they will go to court to prevent the season from resuming.
New criminal complaint against FIFA fixer Arnold plunges Infantino deeper into mire
June 17 – A key ally of FIFA president Gianni Infantino is reported to be the subject of a fourth criminal complaint to the Swiss authorities involving secret undocumented meetings between the FIFA president and under-fire attorney-general Michael Lauber.
Premier League reopening signifies a new start, a celebration of life and solidarity
June 17 – Premier League football returns tonight after a three-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic with Manchester City hosting Arsenal and Aston Villa taking on Sheffield United behind closed doors.
Lewandowski equals scoring record as Bayern wrap up 8th consecutive league title
June 17 – Bayern Munich wrapped up their eighth consecutive Bundesliga title on Tuesday night – in near silence.
Qataris polish their ‘Diamond in the Desert’ stadium; two more to open before year end
June 17 – Qatar organisers have now officially opened the third tournament-ready venue for the 2022 World Cup, and the largest to be completed so far.
Hunger games: Boris backs down as Rashford stands up for 1.3 million children
June 17 – Already facing widespread condemnation over playing catch-up with regard to Covid-19, the British government has now been forced to bow to pressure from a 22-year-old footballer and scrap its controversial policy of stopping free meals for needy school children.
Hearts refuse to be broken over failure of reconstruction talks and issue legal challenge
By Andrew Warshaw
June 16 – Scottish professional football has been plunged into yet more disarray after Heart of Midlothian, arguably the country’s biggest club after Celtic and Rangers, announced it was taking legal action following relegation from the top flight because of the curtailed season.
Cameroon’s AFCON 2020 in Jan looks in doubt as shift to 2021 mooted
June 16 – More doubt is being cast on next year’s African Nations Cup in Cameroon because of the Covid-19 pandemic.