By Andrew Warshaw
November 2 – While so-called “elite” football, deemed as the first six levels of the English game from the Premier League downwards, will still be able to continue during the upcoming second national lockdown caused by Covid-19 – albeit behind closed doors – those further down the pyramid face being cast into limbo, not for the first time.
November 2 – Scottish giants Rangers have suspended two players for “breaching Covid regulations”.
November 2 – England World Cup winner and former Manchester United stalwart Bobby Charlton has been diagnosed with dementia, according to British press reports, raising fresh concerns about the risk of neurodegenerative disorder from playing football.
October 30 – The French Cup competitions have been suspended until December 1 because of a surge in coronavirus cases and deaths in the country. The French Football Federation (FFF) has also halted all amateur football.
October 30 – Barcelona presidential frontrunner Victor Font (pictured) wants Pep Guardiola to return to the club and has “no doubt” Lionel Messi will stay despite his much-publicised fallout with previous Barca chief Josep Maria Bartomeu.
October 30 – Mouscron vs STVV has been postponed in the Belgian Pro league after the Walloon club registered 21 coronavirus cases among its players.
October 30 – LaLiga’s Real Betis has launched an environmental action programme aimed at encouraging businesses to work through football to contribute actively against climate change.
October 29 – In a rare intervention, UEFA vice-president Fernando Gomes (pictured) has delivered a withering attack on the latest idea of a European Super League to challenge the status quo, saying it is the “exacerbation of selfishness and greed” at a time of global uncertainty.
October 29 – German fans have had their gradual but brief return to watching matches in stadia ended following a new ban on attending Bundesliga matches ordered by the German government who are imposing a lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
October 29 – Spanish authorities have told La Liga clubs that they have until the end of this season to cut ties with betting sponsors before new gambling regulation bans betting sponsorship is enforced next year.
October 29 – Fresh from a morale-boosting Champions League win at Juventus on the field, off it Barcelona have named Carles Tusquets as their acting president in the wake of Josep Maria Bartomeu’s resignation in order to avoid facing a vote of no confidence.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 28 – Under pressure from legions of fans ahead of a vote of no-confidence, Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu took the ultimate step and fell on his sword on Tuesday – but not before eye-catching revelations that he had accepted proposals for the club to join a European Super League.
October 28 – Christian Seifert, one of the most influential figures in European football administration, has announced he is stepping step down as the German Football League’s (DFL) chief executive when his contract expires in 2022.
October 27 – Just as sports authorities in some badly Covid-hit European countries like England continue to campaign for the ban on fans at top-flight games to be softened, so Italy’s Serie A has gone back behind closed doors for at least a month following a spike in cases.
October 27 – The English Football League (EFL) has reacted quickly to defend its record on gambling sponsorships following reports that gambling sponsorship in the UK could be banned.