Man City seal new regional deal with noon.com platform
April 12 – Manchester City has added Middle Eastern e-commerce platform noon.com as a regional partner.
Gold Cup 2025
USA clinch last four slot with penalty win over Costa Rica
USA 2 Costa Rica 2 (USA win 4-3 on pens)
June 29 – You’d hate to use the word ‘sterile’ to describe a Concacaf Gold Cup quarter-final, but following the drama and passion of Guatemala versus Canada, it all felt a little flat as the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) and Costa Rica kicked off for the right to face Guatemala in St. Louis. After 90 minutes and the drama of penalty kicks,
Palace reveal £58m loss and £30m covid hit
By David Owen
April 12 – The South London club Crystal Palace have announced a pre-tax loss of £58 million for 2019-20. This was after the accounting period was extended until the end of July. The Eagles are the third Premier League side so far to have adopted this business tactic, in spite of the inclusion of an extra month’s wages in operating costs for the period as a consequence.
UEFA greenlights eight cities for Euro 2020; Munich, Rome, Bilbao and Dublin given more time
By Andrew Warshaw
April 10 – UEFA have given four of the 12 European Championship host cities until April 19 to come up with further details of their plans to allow fans to attend – or risk being thrown out.
Villa post £99m ‘total loss’ to keep EPL clubs on course for staggering £1bn tide of red ink
By David Owen
April 10 – Aston Villa, the Birmingham club which has made sound on-field progress in its second season back in the Premier League big time, has become the latest English outfit to announce a substantial loss for the covid-impacted 2019-20 campaign.
Rangers, Swansea and Birmingham withdraw social media accounts in anti-racism protest
April 9 – Three British clubs have decided independently to boycott social media platforms because of online racist abuse.
Concacaf to kick off Gold Cup in Miami, July 2, with centralised final qualifiers
By Paul Nicholson
April 8 – The Gold Cup will open in Miami July 2 with a series of knockout rounds to qualify the final three teams for the 16-team Gold Cup that kicks off July 10.
China win advantage over South Korea in battle for last women’s Olympic slot
April 8 – After waiting to start their Tokyo Olympic knockout qualifier for more than a year, China emerged favourites for the last AFC qualification slot after a 2-1 away over South Korea in Goyang City.
McAllister emphasises her football credentials in bid for UEFA seat at FIFA Council
April 9 – Laura McAllister, the Football Association of Wales nominee for Europe’s female place on the FIFA Council, has launched her manifesto ahead of the election on April 20, highlighting her experience in football and how that, along with her professional skills, make her the ideal candidate to represent UEFA’s 55 member nations at the top table of world football.
Parents of fire victim set to sue Flamengo; club to buy covid vaccines for players and fans
April 9 – In their legal dispute with Flamengo, the parents of the late Christian Esmerio are demanding 10 million reais (€1.5 million) in damages from the Rio Club. In 2019, a night-time blaze swept through the Flamengo training centre on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, killing ten youth players.
Azeri guarantee UEFA that Baku stadium can be at least 50% full for Euros
April 9 – With UEFA due to decide a list of venues for the delayed Euro 2020 tournament at their executive committee on April 19, Azerbaijan has guaranteed 50% of total fan attendance at Baku’s Olympic Stadium for this summer’s finals.
PFA threatens EFL with legal action if it moves to limit squad sizes
April 9 – England’s Professional Footballers’ Association is considering legal action if the English Football League, which covers the three divisions below the Premier League, does not scrap its proposed limits on squad sizes.
Danish bank pulls sponsorship of national team but not over Qatar 2022 human rights concerns
April 9 – Arbejdernes Landsbank, a major partner of the Danish FA (DBU), have pulled their sponsorship of the national team over the quick-loans law with concerns over the Qatar World Cup lingering in the background.
FIFA bans Chad after government attempts FA takeover
April 9 – Having banned Pakistan earlier this week for third party interference in the national federation’s affairs, FIFA have also kicked out Chad because of government interference.
SuperSport signs up for Qatar 2022 coverage. CAF events next?
April 9 – African football may be struggling to secure meaningful broadcast deals with their domestic broadcasters, but their masters at FIFA have secured a key deal for the 2022 World Cup to be held in Qatar.
Autograph-hunting linesman banned despite donating his signed cards to autism charity
April 9 – The Romanian linesman who asked Europe’s most sought-after young player, Erling Haaland, to sign his red and yellow cards has reportedly been banned form officiating in his country’s top tier.