Czech forward Sural killed in Alanyaspor team bus crash in Turkey
April 29 – Czech international striker Josef Sural (pictured) has been killed following a minibus crash in Turkey according to his club Aytemiz Alanyaspor.
FIFA calls-in human rights bodies in bid to find ‘acceptable’ location for 2022 expansion
April 29 – FIFA has written to human rights groups to hold talks about issues related to a potential expansion of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to 48 teams as Gianni Infantino and the governing body continue their push to find one more regional co-host for the tournament.
Canada’s CPL kicks off first season with a local look and a passionate commitment
By Paul Nicholson
April 29 – The world’s newest tier 1 national league kicked off at the weekend with the Canadian Premier League (CPL) officially opening its inaugural season in Hamilton with a 1-1 draw between Forge FC and York 9 FC.
Bielsa puts game first as Norwich and Sheffield Utd reach EPL’s promised land
April 29 – Sheffield United have been promoted to the English Premier League for the first time since 2007, joining Norwich City in the top flight, but they had an unusual helping hand from Yorkshire rivals Leeds.
Cameroon beat Guinea in penalty shoot-out to win AFCON U17 title
April 29 – Cameroon defeated Guinea 5-3 on penalties to win the final of the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Dar Es Salaam on Sunday. Both finalists qualify for the U-17 World Cup in Brazil alongside losing semi-finalists Nigeria and Angola.
Sala tragedy continues: Emiliano’s father Horacio dies of heart attack
April 29 – The father of Emiliano Sala, the promising young Argentine tragically killed in a plane crash in January after he had completed a £15 million move from Nantes to Cardiff City, has died of a heart attack.
Europe’s big clubs go to war with its big leagues over Super League look-a-like talk
By Andrew Warshaw
April 26 – Potentially explosive plans to overhaul the Champions League post-2024 and turn it into the nearest thing yet to a much-debated European Super League are causing an unprecedented rift between Europe’s clubs and leagues as well as threatening to destabilise the main stakeholders within the entire European football landscape.
US puts Saudi Arabia on ‘watch list’ over beoutQ copyright theft
By Paul Nicholson
April 26 – Saudi Arabia has been put on a ‘Priority Watch List’ by the US and in the UK questions were asked in the Houses of Parliament over the industrial scale copyright theft by Saudi-based pirate broadcaster beoutQ.
Infantino’s secret meetings raise multiple integrity issues for Swiss justice and FIFA
April 26 – Confidential meetings between FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber – reportedly set up by a childhood friend of Infantino – continue to be the subject of investigation in Switzerland amid intense speculation about exactly what was discussed.
Player wages spiral as Premier League clubs battle to maintain profitability
April 25 – In the 2017-18 season English Premier League football clubs’ revenues reached a new high, but that was offset in the pre-tax profits by increased spending on player wages, according to a report by Deloitte.
AFC commits to Sports Law at the Crossroads conference, May 10, Madrid
April 24 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has committed to the Sports law at the Crossroads conference, May 10-11 in Madrid, as a supporting sponsor.
Match-fixing claims in Ligue 1 spark ‘backstage games’ row between Guincamp and Caen
April 26 – The French league are investigating allegations of match-fixing made by EA Guingamp against their relegation rivals SM Caen before the latter’s 1-0 defeat against Angers earlier this month.
Rift between LaLiga and RFEF deepens as clubs reject Supercup in Saudi plan
By Paul Nicholson
April 26 – The deepening discontent between La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has been further highlighted by LaLiga’s unequivocal rejection of RFEF president Luis Rubiales’ plan to reinvent the Spanish Supercup as a four-team competition, potentially in Saudi Arabia.
Spanish court clears former Barca boss Rosell of money laundering after 643 days in jail
April 25 – After spending almost two years in custody awaiting trial, former Barcelona president and European football strongman Sandro Rosell has been acquitted of money laundering charges in a blow to Spanish prosecutors’ relentless campaign to wipe out football-related corruption.
Newcastle’s €18.5m Mitrovic buy sparks Belgian police raids and money laundering probe
By Samindra Kunti
April 25 – Belgian football was rocked again on Wednesday as Belgian police raided the offices of Anderlecht and the Belgian Football Association (KBVB) as part of an investigation into money-laundering. The 2015 transfer of Serbian player Aleksandar Mitrovic from Anderlecht to Newcastle United is reportedly under investigation with player agent Pini Zahavi emergent as a key figure.