Winds remove section of AZ Alkmaar roof
August 12 – Dutch top-flight side AZ Alkmaar suffered a partial roof collapse at their stadium on Saturday after strong winds hit the country.
Europe
Hamburg’s Gambian refugee midfielder accused of false age and identity
August 9 – A Gambian-born midfielder is reported to be playing in Germany with a falsified name and age.
Mane battles Messi and Ronaldo for top Champions League striker gong
August 9 – UEFA has unveiled its shortlist of players for its 2018/19 Champions League positional awards, with five Liverpool players dominating the 12 names that are in contention for the best Goalkeeper, Defender, Midfielder and Forward awards.
Tebas maintains theme of ‘state club’ threat to European football’s market balance
August 7 – His persistence is tiring but the message is enduring. Outspoken La Liga president Javier Tebas is back on the offensive against Manchester City and Paris St Germain once again accusing them of being “state clubs” and a danger to football.
UEFA sanction Craiova after smoke grenade hits ref and match descends into chaos
August 7 – Leading Romanian club Universitatea Craiova have been ordered to play their next two European games behind closed doors after the referee was struck by an exploding object during a Europa League qualifier against Honved of Budapest.
Chemnitzer sack striker Frahn for displaying neo-Nazi ‘sympathy’
August 6 – German third tier side Chemnitzer have sacked their captain Daniel Frahn (pictured) for “openly displaying sympathy” for a neo-Nazi hooligan group.
PSG open with Super Cup win in China; Bayern stumble as Dortmund put down marker
August 5 – Paris-Saint Germain retained the French Super Cup and Borussia Dortmund surprised Bayern Munich 2-0 in the German equivalent as both France and Germany gear up for next week’s big league kick offs.
UEFA appoint first female ref to major club cup final
August 5 – For the first time ever, a female referee will take charge of a senior men’s European showpiece fixture after France’s Stephanie Frappart was appointed by UEFA to handle the Super Cup final between Liverpool and Chelsea in Istanbul on August 14.
With China’s walls up, Bale looks set for another season of benchwarming
By Andrew Warshaw
July 30 – Not so long ago he was the world’s most expensive footballer, now Gareth Bale could face the ludicrous situation of sitting on the Real Madrid bench for large chunks of the forthcoming season unless he is somehow snapped up before the summer transfer window closes at various times throughout Europe over the coming weeks.
England to roll-out 10-minute sinbins in grassroots football
July 30 – English football is introducing temporary dismissals, popularly known as sinbins, at grassroots level from the start of the forthcoming season.
Tebas says €2bn TV money jeopardised by RFEF schedule intervention
By Andrew Warshaw
July 29 – A fresh row has broken out between the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and La Liga, who have long had a fraught relationship, this time over playing top-flight games on Fridays and Mondays.
Carjackers outgunned by Arsenal’s Kolasinac and Ozil
July 26 – Two Premier League players have been involved in a carjacking attempt by an armed gang in London.
Racism: UEFA close section of Bulgaria’s Vasil Levski stadium for Euro 2020 qualifiers
July 22 – Bulgaria have been ordered by UEFA to play their next two home Euro 2020 qualifiers in a partially-closed stadium due to racist behaviour by their supporters.
Play but no pay: Fenerbahce escape Euro club ban but will lose UEFA cash
July 22 – Fenerbahce have avoided a ban from UEFA competitions despite breaching Financial Fair Play rules in 2018-19.
