Standard Liege given go-ahead to expand Stade Maurice Dufrasne
July 1 – Belgian club Standard Liege have been given the green light by to expand their stadium capacity from 28.700 to 32.000.
Europe
UEFA opens up Women’s Champions League to world with game changing DAZN deal
June 30 – UEFA has taking the groundbreaking step of making the first two seasons of its revamped Women’s Champions League free-to-air via a new partnership with DAZN and YouTube.
De Boer quits Netherlands as targets are missed
June 30 – Netherlands boss Frank De Boer has stepped down from his role after his team’s 2-0 elimination by Czech Republic at Euro 2020 in the round of sixteen, admitting his “goal has not been achieved”.
End of an era: Loew bows out of German leadership after 15 years
June 30 – Outgoing Germany coach Joachim Loew rued his team’s missed opportunities in their 2-0 defeat by England on Tuesday as his 15-year spell in charge of Die Mannschaft came to a disappointing end.
‘Messiah’ Perez insists ESL is not dead, as monopoly ruling waited from European Court
By Andrew Warshaw
June 28 – The doomed European Super League may be past history but Real Madrid president Florentino Perez insists the ongoing court case brought by the three remaining members of the project will show the world it was not a failure and is very much alive.
No gold at the end of the rainbow. Belgian Meunier says ‘coming out’ is still an issue for gay players
June 25 – Belgian international Thomas Meunier has said football is not ready for openly gay players, arguing that the sport’s mentality is not developed enough for a player to comfortably come out.
UEFA scraps away goals rule opting for extra time and penalty deciders
June 25 – In an historic move, the away goals rule, in place since the mid-1960s, is being scrapped in all European club competitions from the start of next season.
Derby fined £100K but Championship status looks safe as new owner sought
June 24 – Derby County have been fined £100,000 for breaching English Football League (EFL) accountancy rules but look set to escape a points deduction that would see them relegated to League One and Wycombe Wanderers keep their place in the Championship.
Danish Superliga’s Viborg takes on new money and an owner link to Notts County
June 24 – Danish investment group Better Collective has acquired a majority stake in Danish Superliga club Viborg FF.
Tebas wraps season up: strong financials, the dirty duo, full stadia and a Messi of a situation
By Paul Nicholson
June 23 – Javier Tebas was his typical forthright self at a media event today where he covered multiple topics from the failed European Super League to next year’s LaLiga attendance expectations, the importance of LaLiga’s right to govern itself, and the relative importance, or unimportance, of Lionel Messi to Spain.
Platini to return to football with FIFPro board role
June 17 – Former UEFA head Michel Platini will return to football administration, confirming that he will become the French representative on the board of world players’ union FIFPro.
ECA chief promises new era of trust and transparency after night of the long knives
June 17 – The European Club Association (ECA) held its first in-person Executive Board meeting since February 2020 earlier this week in Munich.
£838m mistake? Forget the ESL, report finds real cash value lies in Big 6 club fan bases
June 16 – A new survey released this week suggests that the Big 6 clubs who pursued new European Super League (ESL) riches should be looking closer to home for a significant and less stressful push for more money.
Bilbao set for €1.3m compensation for loss of Euro 2020 hosting; but no handout for Dublin
June 15 – UEFA looks poised to agree €1.3 million in compensation to Bilbao for the late removal of Euro 2020 hosting from the Basque city’s San Mamés stadium to Seville. The decision was taken once it became clear Bilbao would not allow spectators at matches.
UEFA takes first steps towards blockchain and crypto with AntChain deal
June 15 – UEFA has agreed a five year global partnership for blockchain technology with AntChain, the blockchain subsidiary of Ant Group which also owns AliPay, who are already three years into an eight year sponsorship with UEFA.