Bulgaria’s Hristo Botev stadium revamp achieves UEFA Category IV status
October 10 – Botev Plovdiv’s Hristo Botev stadium has become just the third venue in the country to achieve a category 4 classification by UEFA.
Federations
Belgian Pro League invests in major data ecosystem to support clubs
October 9 – The Belgian Pro League has announced a series of major technological investments aimed at boosting its position in European football, with innovations focused on semi-automated offside technology, advanced data collection across all levels of the game, and precision limb-tracking.
RFEF sanctions Atletico with partial stand closure and €50K fine for Madrid derby chaos
October 4 – The Spanish Football Federation have punished Atletico Madrid with a partial stadium closure for three matches. They have also been handed a fine of $50,000 after crowd trouble halted Sunday’s La Liga game against city rivals, Real Madrid, for almost 20 minutes.
Romanians partner with data specialists Hudl to boost performance
October 4 – The Romanian Football Federation (FRF) has signed a €1.2 million partnership with the American company Hudl.
Italy are fifth bidder to enter race for Women’s Euro 2029 hosting
October 3 – Italy have entered the race to host the 2029 UEFA European Championships. The Italians will now be competing with Germany, Poland, Portugal, and a joint Denmark-Sweden bid to compete for the right to host Europe’s marquee international women’s tournament.
FA Cup prize money boosted by £2.4m weighted towards opening rounds
October 2 – In April of this year, the Football Association scrapped replays for the 2024/25 competition much to the chagrin of the minnows who have relied on replays to fill their coffers. The FA at the time said they would seek to compensate clubs for the loss of revenue generated by these replays.
Turkish Airlines lands one-year TFF deal
October 2 – The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has signed a one-year sponsorship contract with the national carrier Turkish Airlines.
Welsh FA unveils next step for the JD Cymru Premier league as it works towards Friday night play
September 30 – The Football Association of Wales has confirmed a new structure for the JD Cymru Premier league for the 2026/27 season onwards, in a ‘major overhaul’ that will completely change the complexion of Wales’ top tier league.
North Macedonian FA president assaulted by masked attackers outside a Skopje restaurant
September 30 – The president of the Football Federation of North Macedonia (FFM), Muamed Sejdini (pictured), was attacked by three masked men in front of a restaurant in the centre of the North Macedonian capital, Skopje.
Spartak Varna owner Pavlin Nikolov threatens to withdraw funding unless fans stop protests
September 26 – Pavlin Nikolov,owner of the Bulgaria’s Spartak Varna, has said he will to stop funding the club if the fans “continue with the provocations”.
Peter Willems tasked with bringing stability as he moves into CEO role at Belgian FA
September 20 – The Belgian FA (KBVB) has named Peter Willems as the new CEO of the governing body following a summer of chaos.
AEL Limassol demand transparency and government meetings in aftermath of derby violence
September 18 – AEL Limassol have requested a meeting with the president of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides following the violence before the derby match with Apollon on Sunday, which saw the game abandoned and three polic officers hospitalised.
Bulgarian FA looks to tap into €1.3bn EU fund to build new facilities
September 12 – The Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) has applied for grants from a European Union aid programme to renovate and build stadiums and football bases in 40 Bulgarian municipalities.
LFP re-elects Vincent Labrune as president with huge majority
September 11 – French league (LFP) president Vincent Labrune has been re-elected for another four-year term with an overwhelming majority.
Targeted police strike forces postponement of second Ajax match
September 10 – Ajax Amsterdam have had a second of Eredivisie match called off because of a police strike in the Netherlands.