No relegated teams in unfinished Czech league
July 24 – No teams will be relegated from the Czech league since the competition was left unfinished after one player tested positive for coronavirus.
World Football
Exclusive: SA’s Jordaan back in the naughty corner as FIFA Ethics receive wide-ranging complaint
By Paul Nicholson
July 23 – Danny Jordaan, the president of the South African FA (SAFA) and the administrative face of the South Africa 2010 World Cup, has come under renewed pressure following an extensive FIFA Ethics complaint filed by two of his National Executive Committee (NEC).
Colombian government says its ticket touting FA execs should be kicked out
July 23 – Colombia’s government says the national FA should kick out any officials deemed to have been found guilty of wrongdoing following a two-year investigation by the country’s business regulator into the resale of tickets for World Cup qualifiers at inflated prices.
Sending a signal. CTV switches channels on Premier League as China-UK row heats up
By Andrew Warshaw
July 23 – The burgeoning political and diplomatic feud between Britain and China has spilled over into top-flight football with English Premier League games reported to have been pulled from Chinese state television (CTV).
Covid-19 cases hit record level as Paulista returns to play
July 23 – After a four-month hiatus, football has returned to São Paulo with the resumption of the Paulista championship, one of Brazil’s most important state championships.
Hackers foiled in £1m transfer fee sting, but cybercrime is football’s new security frontier
July 23 – An unnamed English Premier League club came close to losing £1 million during a transfer deal because of cyber hackers, according to a new report.
Globo’s power under threat as CBF match schedule sees TV rights split
July 23 – The Brazilian FA (CBF) has published a tentative match calendar for the Brazilian top flight with a TV schedule that will intensify the on-going domestic TV rights battle.
Championship’s last day nail-biter sees West Brom squeeze back into Premier League
July 23 – West Bromwich Albion have won promotion back to the Premier League after a two-year absence, joining Leeds United in the top flight next season in a dramatic, nail-biting finale to the Championship season on Wednesday.
NWSL gets all-star cast of owners for Los Angeles franchise
By Paul Nicholson
July 22 – Los Angeles is to get its first professional women’s team with a consortium led by Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman having been awarded a franchise by the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
Relevent lose USSF anti-trust case and right to stage foreign league matches in US
By Paul Nicholson
July 22 – US Soccer had another significant win in court this week in the lawsuit brought against the federation by Relevent Sports who have been campaigning to stage regular season league matches from non-US leagues in the country.
Deportivo demand final day replay as former giants face life with the minnows
July 22 – Spanish football is heading for the courts after former top-flight champions Deportivo La Coruna were controversially relegated from the second tier when their final fixture was postponed because of Covid-19.
Forget Covid-19, Wigan fans call for better tests for the bad-owner virus
July 22 – Fans of English Championship club Wigan Athletic have launched a petition calling on the government to strengthen the owners and directors test after their team was plunged into administration earlier this month when its Hong Kong owner pulled the plug on further funding.
Jack is back: Warner bids to re-enter Trinidad politics as he waits for extradition ruling
July 21 – Jack is back, really. FIFA’s most-wanted, Jack Warner, the disgraced former Concacaf president and FIFA vice president currently battling extradition to the US, is bidding to re-enter politics in his home country of Trinidad and Tobago as a member of parliament.
Conmebol timetable Copa Libertadores for September behind closed doors
July 21 – The Copa Libertadores will return to action behind closed doors in September, six months after South America’s flagship competition was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, Conmebol has announced.
Football has been blitzed by Covid-19, says Ceferin, but solidarity and safety will triumph
July 21 – UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin says Covid-19 has had a worse effect on football than during the Second World War.