LaLiga begins first of 4-phased return to work
May 5 – La Liga has confirmed that Spain’s footballers will go back to training this week with a view to resuming fixtures in June.
Europe
Israelis and Hungarians plan end May returns for top tier leagues
May 5 – Israeli football will return at the start of June, the country’s sports minister Miri Regev announced on Monday. In Hungary, the domestic cup semi-finals will mark a return of the game on May 23.
Coronavirus: Spurs and Wembley lose NFL hosting as league moves matches back to US
May 5 – Tottenham Hotspur and Wembley have both lost two NFL matches they were set to host in London this autumn with the US major league announcing it has cancelled the four regular season games and switching them back to the US.
Cologne players test positive but Bundesliga stays on track with re-start plan
May 4 – The German Bundesliga’s move to get its season back on track took a knock after three FC Koln players tested positive for the coronavirus, but Germany’s minister for the interior Horst Seehofer has backed the league’s return this month.
Belgium Pro-league remain in limbo over lockdown and TV rights liabilities
May 4 – Yet again, Belgium’s Pro League has delayed the decision to rubber-stamp Club Brugge’s coronation as champions because of the evolving lockdown measures in the country and concerns over the TV rights contract. The league’s general assembly will now meet on May 15.
Belgian FA expands top tier women’s league to 10 clubs
May 1 – The Coronavirus has thrown the immediate future of the global game into disarray, but it hasn’t stopped the Belgian FA (KBVB) from expanding the domestic women’s league to ten clubs, a move designed to develop the women’s game after years of chronic neglect.
German chancellor Merkel holds back a week on giving Bundesliga restart date
May 1 – Germany, ahead of the game in Europe in dealing with the spread of Covid-19, has suffered a setback in its bid to start playing matches again after the government delayed any decision over a league resumption.
PSG handed French title and Marseille CL spot, but unhappy Lyon left hanging
May 1 – Paris St. Germain have been awarded the Ligue 1 title two days after the government ruled that the French season could not resume because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Euro leagues chief Olsson dismisses FIFA medical boss as having ‘no idea’
April 30 – The head of the European Leagues umbrella body has hit back at FIFA’s medical chief for suggesting the season should be cancelled because of Covid-19.
Sex change: Locked down football fans swap live TV matches for bedroom action
April 30 – Football fans may be frustrated at not being able to watch their teams live but they are making up for it with more action in the bedroom, according to data from a new study.
French abandon any hope of restart after PM steps in to ban all football until September
By Andrew Warshaw
April 29 – France has become the first of the so-called Big Five leagues in Europe to scrap the rest of their season because of Covid-19, joining the Netherlands and Belgium in ending all domestic competition and throwing UEFA’s hopes of a co-ordinated resumption of play into disarray.
UEFA sets May 25 deadline for leagues to decide on season finishes
April 28 – Amidst growing frustration over the confused state of affairs throughout its membership, UEFA has imposed a May 25 deadline for European leagues to say whether or not they intend to complete or cancel their domestic seasons.
US investors Pacific Media Group add to club holdings with completion of KV Oostende buy
April 29 – After prolongated negotiations, American investment group Pacific Media Group (PMG) has become the new owner of struggling KV Oostende.
EU players will need to pass ‘points’ test to play in the UK’s pro leagues
April 29 – Players from the European Union will have to go through a points-based system similar to that which currently applies to non-EU footballers before being allowed to play in the English Premier League under new proposals caused by Brexit.
Robert Herbin, the Sphinx at the heart of St Etienne’s glory years, dies aged 81
By David Owen
April 28 – Robert Herbin, who was a key player in one great Saint-Etienne team and coach of another, has died at the age of 81. Born in Paris, the tactically-astute defensive midfielder played 23 times for France, but it was his exploits with the team in green that came to epitomise French football in the 1960s and 1970s for which he will be remembered.