FIFPro warns players away from Romania as pay situation worsens
April 24 – The international players’ union FIFpro has warned its members against signing for Romanian clubs because of the risk they will not get paid.
KPN upgrades Eredvisie deal to main sponsorship with focus on TV connections
April 24 – The Dutch Eredvisie has signed telecommunications operator KPN in a four-year deal as the league’s main sponsor from the start of next season.
FIFA draw the line under Costa Rica’s Li with life ban for taking bribes
April 24 – Eduardo Li, the disgraced former president of the Costa Rican Football Association, has been banned for life by FIFA’s ethics committee in the latest sanction to strike at the heart of the organisation’s old guard.
Kante picks up PFA Player of the Year award as he drives Chelsea towards double
April 24 – Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante was named the PFA Player of the Year at an awards dinner in London on Sunday. He held off competition from fellow Chelsea player Eden Hazard and Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Piracy in the Caribbean
The battle for political control of the Caribbean is entering a crucial phase, and it has nothing to do with football and everything to do with controlling the votes, the agenda and the money. At the centre of the power play is the CONCACAF-driven attempts to remove Caribbean Football Union (CFU) president Gordon Derrick from office and split the CFU membership.
Caribbean boss Derrick disappointed at CFU exco resignations
By Paul Nicholson
April 21 – Caribbean Football Union (CFU) president Gordon Derrick has expressed disappointment at the resignation of two of his executive committee members who demanded he should resign after he lost an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over his exclusion from the CONCACAF presidential elections last year.
Crossing the Green Line: Israeli mount political offensive as Palestinians call foul
By Andrew Warshaw
April 21 – Israel is stepping up its diplomatic efforts to foil another Palestinian motion within FIFA for severe sanctions to be applied on its Middle East neighbour.
Sakho doping case opens rift between UEFA and WADA
By Andrew Warshaw
April 21 – UEFA and the World anti-doping Agency have come to blows over French international Mamadou Sakho’s wrongly applied drugs ban last year.
Excitement Index puts Barca as top team but Real vs Bayern as top match
April 21 – Nissan has released its latest Excitement Index findings that show reveal Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich was the most exciting Champions League match this season, but that overall Barcelona top the Excitement Index Team League.
Conforama signs €10m title sponsorship with France’s Ligue 1
April 21 – European furniture retail chain Conforama has signed a three-year title sponsorship with France’s Ligue 1. The deal, reportedly worth €10 million a season, will start with the 2017-18 championship and run though to the end of 2019-20.
Man City Women recruit Hays as official sponsor partner
April 21 – The trend towards recognising the Women’s club game in England as a sponsorship opportunity at club level and separate to the mens team, is continuing with double title winning side Manchester City Women signing Hays as their Official Recruitment Partner. This follows the deal unveiled earlier in the week when Liverpool’s Women’s team announced Avon as their shirt sponsor.
AFC to recruit region-wide talent to new Referee Academy
April 21 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is to set up a Referee Academy based at AFC headquarters in Kula Lumpur, aimed at increasing the number of AFC referees at world class level within the region and improving standards across the region.
I-league finale: Aizwal have chance to make Indian history
By Samindra Kunti
April 21 – Aizawl FC and Mohun Bagan square off this weekend in the season’s penultimate match day in a game that could prove decisive for the I-league, and which may propel the team from Mizoram to a historic title.
German police charge Dortmund bus bomber motivated by share scam
April 21- Police in Germany have charged a man suspected of being behind Tuesday’s bomb attack on the Borussia Dortmund team bus but have ruled out terrorism.
England and Villa star Ehiogu dies of heart attack, aged 44
April 21 – Former England and Aston Villa defender Ugo Ehiogu, who has been working as Tottenham Hotspur’s under-23 coach, has died in hospital aged 44 following a cardiac arrest.