By Gareth Messenger
May 22 – Gibraltar’s bid to join European football’s governing body as a full member is gathering pace in London ahead of the UEFA Congress this Friday. If elected, Gibraltar’s national team would be allowed to take part in European competitions.
By Mark Baber
May 21 – William Hill has extended its sponsorship of the Scottish Cup until 2016, after agreeing a new two-year seven-figure deal, believed to be £3 million, a year before the existing contract was due to end.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 21 – As Scottish football prepares to discuss ground-breaking plans to preserve its very future, crisis-torn Edinburgh club Hearts have avoided immediate relegation after the Scottish Premier League decided the club’s financial problems had not breached its rules before the end of the season.
By Mark Baber
May 21 – UEFA has signed an agreement with the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) which becomes the seventh official sponsor of UEFA’s national team competitions, including the UEFA European Football Championships.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 21 – Despite renewed efforts from football’s authorities to try and eradicate racism, Italy’s season ended with yet more examples of discrimination – just a week after FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s personal intervention over the issue.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 21 – George Becali, outspoken owner of leading Romanian club Steaua Bucharest, has been jailed for abuse of power in his role a member of parliament, according to local reports.
By Mark Baber
May 20 – In a deal estimated to be worth €25 million per season, newly crowned French champions Paris St Germain (PSG) have officially extended their shirt sponsorship deal with Dubai airline Emirates for another five years until the end of the 2018/19 season.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 20 – Activists from several European countries are planning to stage a rally outside this week’s UEFA Congress in London protesting against the decision to hand this summer’s European Under-21 championship to Israel.
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
May 20 – Monaco are planning to take the French football authorities to court after being refused permission to rejoin the country’s top flight in a seething row over tax status. Although a self-contained adjacent principality, Monaco have been playing in the French league for nearly a century and were Champions League runners up in 2004.
By Gareth Messenger
May 17 – Javier Tebas, President of the National Professional Football League (LFP), believes that four clubs in Spain are in a frail financial position with two of them on the edge of liquidation.
By Gareth Messenger
May 17 – Eight Spanish Primera clubs have had their UEFA licence applications turned down by the federation for failure to meet the financial conditions required to play in European competition.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 16 – English football is cracking down on racism from next season – but not as strongly as UEFA. Players found guilty of racially abusing an opponent will be suspended for a minimum of five matches, half the sentence UEFA says it will impose in its competitions.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 16 – Sir Alex Ferguson isn’t the only Manchester United icon to retire from football. Former England captain David Beckham – arguably the most recognised and respected player of his generation – has now announced that he, too, is stepping down at the end of this season after a distinguished career spanning 20 years.
By Gareth Messenger
May 16 – With just three days notice, Granada city council have written to the LFP requesting that the La Liga match between Granada CF and Osasuna, scheduled for May 18, is switched to an alternative date.
By Andrew Warshaw in Amsterdam
May 16 – However fortuitous Chelsea were in their Europa League victory over Benfica on Wednesday night, behind the scenes tournament sponsors Western Union were celebrating their own special landmark. Commercial partners traditionally deliver all kinds of reasons, some more credible than others, for getting into bed with football to enhance their brand awareness. But sometimes a campaign looks such an obvious fit, it seems destined for immediate success.