June 18 – Three Qatari FA execs are currently working the 2025 Gold Cup circuit as part of the collaboration between Concacaf and the hosts of the 2022 World Cup that has provided an on-going legacy and international knowledge exchange programme.
By Samindra Kunti
May 6 – Two years after Liverpool were crowned European champions following a 2-0 victory against Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City will lock horns in another all-English Champions League final at the end of May in Istanbul after the London club dispatched a fading Real Madrid 2-0 (3-1 on aggregate) in their semi-final.
May 6 – Manchester United face having to play four times in eight days after their postponed home Premier League match with Liverpool was rearranged for Thursday May 13.
May 5 – Lionel Messi has topped another European ranking of players based on their performances this season. He heads PSG’s Neymar Júnior who seems to have finally settled in Paris, and Bayern goalscoring machine Robert Lewandowski.
May 6 – US broadcaster Fox Sports has added English language rights for Conmebol’s competitions in a six-year deal.
May 6 – Bafana Bafana have a new manager with Belgian coach Hugo Broos, an AFCON winner, taking on the role to steer South Africa to a brighter future after the country’s recent elimination from next year’s continental finals.
May 6 – Scottish champions Rangers have renewed their shirt sponsorship with Kindred Group betting brand 32Red in what the club is saying is a record deal.
May 6 – Former Arsenal and German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has been sacked from his role on the board of Hertha Berlin after sending a WhatsApp message to Sky pundit and ex-international Dennis Aogo calling him a “token black guy”.
By Paul Nicholson
May 5 – FIFA President Gianni Infantino has won what he hopes will be the first step towards a more significant victory in his battle to quash the Swiss federal criminal investigation into his conduct.
May 5 – In a shock ruling under its new president Patrice Motsepe (pictured), the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has banned 20 of its 54 member countries from using their stadiums to host international matches because they don’t meet “minimum requirements”.
May 5 – Logistics giant FedEx has added the UEFA Champions League to its Europa League and National Team sponsorships in a three-season deal giving it coverage across all of UEFA’s men’s competitions.
May 5 – In the wake of the European Super League (ESL) protests, Chelsea have become the first of the English breakaway clubs to introduce fan representation at board meetings.
May 5 – On a visit to Ivory Coast, Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe announced that the Motsepe Foundation will donate $10 million for the establishment of a pan-African schools championship organised under the umbrella of both CAF and FIFA.
May 5 – In another blow to Kenyan football, Premier League club Zoo FC have been sanctioned for suspected match fixing, and relegated the club from the domestic Premier League.
May 5 – Sports betting integrity specialist Sportradar, which services a bulk of national federations and confederations with its bet monitoring systems, has taken the battle against match-fixing a step further with an MoU with the General Directorate National Police of Bulgaria.
