UEFA hosts 8-team Unity Euro Cup for refugees
June 21 – Alongside the the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), UEFA is staging a new European tournament for refugees, the UNITY EURO Cup.
Europe
Belgian Pro League agrees cut to 16-team top tier but doubles size of second division
June 20 – The Belgian top flight will be downsized from 18 to 16 clubs in the 2023-24 season, the Pro League decided at a general assembly. The second division however will double in size from eight to 16 clubs, including U-23 teams.
Al-Khelaifi changing room outburst after PSG loss to Real Madrid to go unpunished
June 20 – UEFA have cleared their own executive committee member Nasser al-Khelaifi (pictured) of any wrongdoing despite finding his club Paris Saint-Germain guilty of misconduct for confrontations with match officials after being knocked out of this season’s Champions League.
Tebas warns that FFP-beating ‘state-owned’ clubs are a clear danger to Europe’s club game
By Andrew Warshaw
June 17 – Spanish football boss Javier Tebas (pictured) has lashed out yet again at what he describes as cash-rich “state-owned” clubs endangering the entire landscape of elite football competition.
Ex-Russian captain Igor Denisov breaks ranks to call Ukraine war ‘a complete horror’
June 17 – The former captain of Russia’s national team has taken the bold and courageous step of publicly condemning Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, risking the wrath of the Kremlin and potentially a lengthy jail term.
ECA launches Ukraine relief fund with UEFA Foundation support
June 17 – The European Club Association and the UEFA Foundation for Children are inviting clubs to apply for a €25,000 and €50,000 grant to support efforts with humanitarian initiatives to assist the Ukrainian people.
LaLiga files new complaint at UEFA against PSG for breaking fair play rules
June 15 – LaLiga’s war on what it sees as state-owned clubs financially unbalancing the European club eco-system has been taken a step further with the Spanish League filing acomplaint with UEFA against PSG who LaLiga maintains is “in continuous breach of the current financial fair play rules”.
Spanish women agree equal ‘percentage’ bonus deal to men’s team with RFEF
June 15 – In the build-up to the Women’s Euro 2022, the Spanish FA (RFEF) have announced that the men’s and women’s national teams will receive the same percentage of the prize money distributed by UEFA and FIFA at major finals.
Girondins fall foul of French financial police and relegated to third tier
June 15 – Girondins de Bordeaux have been relegated to the French third division because of financial problems following a decision by French football’s financial watchdog the DNCG.
CAS clears Spezia Calcio return to transfer market after serving half their ban
June 15 – Italian Serie A club Spezia Calcio have been cleared to resume player trading by sport’s highest court after winning an appeal against a FIFA transfer ban.
Hungary burst England’s bubble as nation tailspins towards Qatar 2022
June 16 – Just a year after reaching the final of the delayed Euros, England slumped to their worst home defeat for 94 years on Tuesday, humiliated 4-0 by Hungary in the Nations League, a result that sent shock waves across the Continent.
Super League vs UEFA: European Court sets hearing date for July
By Andrew Warshaw
June 14 – The all-important hearing into whether football’s governing bodies had the legal right to sanction the much-maligned European Super League clubs will take place on July 11 and 12, potentially shaping the future of the game for years to come.
Hungary beat Germany 1:1 in Budapest last Saturday; England, again, are next
June 14 – The UEFA Nations League is producing some pretty unexpected results , and all this a few months before the kick-off to the Qatar World Cup. Teams are testing and some cannot be too happy.
Ronaldo rape case dismissed in US over ‘misappropriated documents’
June 13 – A US judge has dismissed a rape allegation lawsuit against Cristiano Ronaldo because of the way documents were obtained by the accuser’s legal team.
Paris police chief says he fabricated ticketless number as CCTV footage of violence is wiped
By Samindra Kunti
June 10 – In a new revealing French senate session, Paris police chief Didier Lallement has admitted that the claim of 30,000-40,000 ticketless Liverpool fans at the European Cup final in Paris wasn’t based on any scientific reality, but he defended the use of teargas to disperse the fans.