Belgian’s Mouscron handed transfer ban as players go unpaid
December 2 – Belgian club Mouscron have been slapped with a transfer ban by the Belgian FA (KBVB) because of unpaid salaries to both the technical staff and players.
Europe
Burying the ESL: EU sports ministers back European Sport Model resolution
December 1 – EU sports ministers have moved to prevent European Super League plans from being resurrected after they adopted Resolution of the Council of the EU on a European Sport Model, in effect rejecting closed competitions.
Bottom-slapping fan hit with three-year sports ban
December 1 – Italian police have banned a fan from all sporting events for three years after he allegedly slapped the bottom of a female reporter live on TV, a gesture that drew widespread condemnation.
England hammer 20 past Latvia to set new scoring record
December 1 – England bettered Belgium’s 19-0 victory against Armenia with 20 goals of their own against Latvia to set a new European record in Women’s World Cup qualifying.
Omicron variant ripped through team to trigger the Belenenses vs Benfica fiasco
November 30 – All 13 cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant in Portugal involved players and staff of top division Belenenses, one of whose players recently returned from South Africa, according to health authorities.
Head thinking: UEFA draws up concussion charter
November 30 – European governing body UEFA has drawn up a concussion charter to educate stakeholders in the game and promote good concussion management.
Former Czech FA boss Pelta jailed for fraudulent use of government sports subsidies
November 29 – A Czech court has sentenced a former head of the country’s FA to six and years in jail for fraud.
Police raid Juve offices in probe into suspected transfer fraud
November 29 – The offices of Juventus, Italy’s most successful club, were raided by police last Friday amid an investigation into transfer dealings between 2019 and 2021.
The iron fist of democracy. English football heads towards government-imposed regulator
November 25 – English football has taken a step closer to being regulated by a government-backed but independent overseer whose powers could include taking control of failing clubs from their owners.
Benzema found guilty of sex-tape blackmail and handed 1-year suspended jail term
November 25 – France and Real Madrid star striker Karim Benzema (pictured) has been found guilty of conspiring to blackmail a fellow French footballer with a sex tape. He has been sentenced to a one-year suspended jail term and fined.
European Parliament looks to nail breakaway European Super League coffin shut
By Andrew Warshaw
November 25 – The European Parliament has voted to oppose breakaway sports competitions following football’s aborted Super League project that collapsed within just 48 hours of its launch in April amidst a backlash from fans and governments.
Sports minister warns crowd violence is threatening ‘survival’ of French football
November 24 – France’s sports minister Roxana Maracineanu (pictured) says repeated crowd trouble at Ligue 1 matches is putting the very survival of French football at risk.
Bayern threaten wage cuts for unvaccinated as Covid spike forces partial stadium closure
November 22 – The Europe-wide protests against new Covid restrictions have spilled over into football with Bayern Munich reportedly having informed their unvaccinated players that they will have their salaries cut during periods when they have to go into quarantine.
Lyon-Marseille game abandoned after Payet hit by bottle
November 22 – Despite attempts by French football authorities to crack down on fan violence, yet another damaging incident hit the country’s top-flight league on Sunday when the Lyon-Marseille fixture was abandoned after Marseille forward Dimitri Payet was hit by a bottle thrown from the stands a few minutes after kick off.
The long goodbye: Man Utd end the wait and fire Solskjaer. Poch up next?
November 22 – Even managers with legendary status are not immune from being sacked when they fail to progress or deliver silverware.