UEFA relegates Ukraine as Swiss keep Nations League spot without winning a match
November 26 – Once again, the impact of coronavirus rather than anything on the field has dashed a country’s Nations League hopes.
World Football
World’s highest paid union boss to step down after 40 years at PFA
November 26 – Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association, which represents players in England and Wales, is to stand down at the end of this season.
The Hand of God: Maradona dies, aged 60
By Andrew Warshaw
November 25 – The football world is in shock after it was announced that Diego Maradona, one of the greatest players of all time, has died at the age of 60 after a cardiac arrest.
Conmebol chases Globo for $120m of unpaid TV rights fees
November 25 – Conmebol is suing Brazilian broadcaster Globo for $120 million over a Copa Libertadores TV rights dispute.
Flamengo and Santos show away form as Copa Libertadores starts knock out phase
November 25 – South American champions Flamengo secured a valuable 1-1 draw on the road against Argentina’s Racing Club in the last 16 of the Copa Libertadores on a good first night for Brazilian clubs in the competition’s knockout phase.
Laporta indicates he is ready to take lead at Barcelona again
November 25 – Joan Laporta, who led Barcelona between 2003 and 2010, is set to announce that he will run for a second term as club president in succession to the much-maligned Josep Maria Bartomeu, who resigned last month under pressure from players, supporters and fellow board members.
CAF cancels crucial congress in Ethiopia in favour of a video summit, for health reasons
November 25 – The Confederation of African football (CAF) has ditched plans to hold next month’s general assembly in Ethiopia and has switched the December 11 session to its Cairo headquarters by video-conference.
England to unlock gates for limited fan return from December 2
November 24 – Up to 4,000 spectators will be allowed to attend outdoor ‘elite’ sport, including Premier League football, in the lowest-risk Covid areas of England when a month-long national lockdown is lifted on December 2.
Norway warms to new league champions Bodø/Glimt from the Arctic Circle
November 24 – As footballing miracles go, not many can match the romantic achievement of new Norwegian champions Bodø/Glimt who, as some reports put it, have “done a Leicester”.
Rio’s Maracana to host Copa Libertadores final a day before Club World Cup kicks off
November 24 – On January 30, South America will crown a new club champion with the final of the Copa Libertadores now confirmed for Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium.
CAF’s corrupt president Ahmad is banned by FIFA Ethics
By Andrew Warshaw
November 23 – The head of African football, Ahmad Ahmad, has paid the ultimate price for a plethora of misdemeanours and indiscretions by being banned by FIFA for five years.
Chinese clubs show strong early form as AFC Champions League resumes in Qatar
November 23 – China’s Beijing FC and Shanghai SIPG have both made perfect starts in their group stages of the Asian Champions League in Qatar, where the remaining 40 matches of the East Zone matches will be played.
Africa and Togo mourn loss of Seyi Memene
November 23 – African football is mourning the loss of Seyi Memene, a former vice president of CAF who died in his native Togo on Saturday morning following a long illness.
Foul play in Switzerland? Ukraine claim game should and could have been played
By Paul Nicholson
November 20 – The Ukrainian FA (UAF) claims that its Nations League match against Switzerland should have been played and that the country had enough covid-free players to complete the fixture.