By Andrew Warshaw
April 18 – For the second night running, the Champions League threw up the most extraordinary of stories as underdogs Tottenham Hotspur, without their injured talisman Harry Kane, went through to the semi-finals in remarkable circumstances against the might of big-spending Manchester City after one of the most stirring, nerve-wracking ties in the history of club football.
April 17 – They began their challenge back in the qualifying rounds when they were 250 to 1 outsiders. But now Ajax of Amsterdam, the pioneers of total football back in the 1970s, are just one round and two matches away from an unlikely place in this season’s Champions League final.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 16 – John Delaney’s colourful and controversial career as an influential voice in European football administration is under severe threat after the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) announced he had offered to step aside as its executive vice-president with immediate effect amid increasing criticism over an authorised loan he provided in 2017 that called into question serious governance issues.
April 15 – France’s Ligue 1 match between Dijon and Amiens was held up last Friday after visiting captain Prince Gouano was the target of monkey chants, adding to a string of recent racist incidents across Europe.
April 15 – Standard Liege’s home league game against rivals Anderlecht was abandoned in the Belgian top flight plays-offs after just 30 minutes following flares thrown by visiting supporters. The Brussels-based team will be slapped with a fine and potentially a 5-0 forfeit score.
April 12 – Atletico Madrid’s notoriously controversial Spanish international striker Diego Costa has been banned for no fewer than eight games for a foul-mouthed rant against a referee.
April 12 – Tottenham have been charged by UEFA after a spectator ran on to the pitch during their Champions League win over Manchester City on Tuesday.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 11 – With almost inevitable haste, former German Football Association president Reinhard Grindel, forced to resign after being embroiled in a domestic scandal, has also quit his high-ranking FIFAand UEFA roles leaving a gaping vacuum at the heart of both administrations.
April 11 – Dutch police arrested more than 140 fans before Ajax’s Champions League quarter final first leg against Juventus on Wednesday.
April 10 – AC Milan face fresh sanctions for breaching Financial Fair Play rules after being referred to UEFA’s financial regulator for failing to meet the break-even requirement for the second year in a row.
April 10 – Ireland’s state-funded sports body, Sport Ireland, has suspended all future funding to the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) amid fresh fallout over a loan given to the FAI by its former chief executive John Delaney (pictured).
April 10 – UEFA has issued a licensing rights tender for the creation of UEFA club competition branded headphones and speakers.
April 9 – The eight UEFA Champions League quarter finalists generated a total of generated total revenue of €3.5 billion in 2017/18. The FC Barcelona versus Manchester United will be the richest tie in the history of UEFA competition – the clubs generated a combined €1.4 billion.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 8 – Having seemingly patched up their differences, Europe’s top leagues are back on a potential collision course with UEFA over plans to revamp the Champions League.
April 5 -Italy coach Roberto Mancini has called for tough measures in Serie A after the “unacceptable” racist abuse of Juventus’s Italian international Moise Kean.