North and South Koreas still on course for joint 2023 Women’s World Cup bid
April 17 – A potential landmark joint bid from North and South Korea for the 2023 Women’s World Cup remains very much in the race
News
Ajax beat the odds and Juventus to reach Champions League semis
April 17 – They began their challenge back in the qualifying rounds when they were 250 to 1 outsiders. But now Ajax of Amsterdam, the pioneers of total football back in the 1970s, are just one round and two matches away from an unlikely place in this season’s Champions League final.
AFC draws teams for first round of Qatar 2020 qualifying
April 17 – The draw for the first phase of Asia’s qualifying round for the 2022 World Cup finals was made on Wednesday despite the fact that the continent doesn’t know for sure how many teams will be represented in Qatar.
2020 Olympic tournament to kick off in Sapporo two days before opening ceremony
By David Owen
April 17 – The schedule for the men’s and women’s Olympic football tournaments next year in Japan has been published, with the sport getting up and running as usual well before the official opening ceremony for the Games.
FIFA to send fact-finding team to Pakistan as PFF power struggle continues
April 17 – World governing body FIFA is to send a fact-finding mission to Pakistan to assess the administrative crisis in the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), but the FIFA delegation seems unlikely to issues sanctions preventing Pakistan from taking part in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
LaLiga renews virtual ad board deal guaranteeing Barca, Real and Atletico
April 15 – LaLiga has extended its virtual perimeter and virtual goal-side advertising deal with the UK’s Interregional Sports Group (ISG). The deal was concluded via LaLiga’s media agency MediaPro.
Ireland’s Delaney quits FAI over €100K loan, but hangs on to UEFA posts
By Andrew Warshaw
April 16 – John Delaney’s colourful and controversial career as an influential voice in European football administration is under severe threat after the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) announced he had offered to step aside as its executive vice-president with immediate effect amid increasing criticism over an authorised loan he provided in 2017 that called into question serious governance issues.
LaLiga to kick off new Puma technical deal next season
April 16 – Puma will become LaLiga’s official technical partner from the start of the 2019/20 season, and will supply the official match ball for all matches in LaLiga Santander and La Liga 1|2|3.
Catching up. FIFA gives jailed Brazilian Marin a life ban and CHF1m fine
April 16 – Jose Maria Marin, disgraced former president of the Brazil Football Confederation (CBF), has been banned for life by FIFA and fined CHF1 million for taking bribes, 16 months after he was convicted of corruption charges in the United States.
RFEF goes into battle with La Liga with its own OTT platform offer
By Paul Nicholson
April 16 – The animosity between the Spanish FA (RFEF) and LaLiga has found a new broadcast battleground to play out.
Infantino’s one-man mission for 48-team 2020 World Cup lands in Kuwait
April 15 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s determination to win his battle to expand the 2022 World Cup beyond Qatar’s borders has taken him to Kuwait in a last-ditch effort to pull in another 16 finalists in three years’ time.
Not good enough for 2019 AFCON, but fine for 2020 CHAN. Cameroon get host job
April 15 – Having been stripped of hosting rights for this year’s Africa’s showpiece event, the African Cup of Nations, Cameroon have instead been handed the consolation prize of the 2020 African Nations Championship (CHAN) finals in place of Ethiopia.
MRI tests find six players as being overage at CAF U17 finals
April 15 – Six players have been banned from taking part in the U17 Africa Cup of Nations in Tanzania after failing MRI tests to determine their age and eligibility for the competition.
AFCON 2019 draw keeps Egypt and Cameroon apart, but Morocco face tough group
April 15 – Morocco, Ivory Coast and South Africa, alongside Namibia, were paired in the group of death at the draw for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. The hosts Egypt and reigning champions Cameroon were handed favourable draws.
Zero tolerance. Infantino urges refs to abandon matches when racism occurs
April 15 – The recent resurgence of racism across world football has prompted FIFA president Gianni Infantino to call for a crackdown following several high-profile incidents, echoing UEFA’s call for referees to abandon matches in the worst-case scenarios