August 19 – Ronald Koeman has quit as boss of the Netherlands to become the new head coach of Barcelona two days after the club sacked Quique Setien following that humiliating 8-2 Champions League drubbing by Bayern Munich that stunned world football.
August 19 – It took them 110 games in the competition stretching back several years to get this far.
By Paul Nicholson
August 18 – German giants Borussia Dortmund have reported a loss of €43.9 million for the 2019/20 financial year ending June 30 on revenues of €486.9 million. The club had reported a €17 million profit in 2018/19.
August 19 – Former Senegal and English Premier League striker Demba Ba has called on football’s stakeholders to condemn China’s treatment of Uighur muslims, whatever the financial cost in terms of broadcast deals and player contracts.
August 19 – Serie A’s Atalanta, whose fairy tale journey to the quarter finals of the Champions League was ended in the dieing minutes by PSG, has found consolation with a new main club sponsor.
August 19 – Despite the strong threat of LaLiga’s clubs being prevented earning sponsorship income from the gaming and betting sector, another club has announced an online gambler as its main shirt sponsor.
August 19 – With so many grassroots clubs in danger of going out of business, English football’s lower non-league divisions will be allowed a limited number of fans after the government updated its guidance on recreational team sport events.
August 18 – The start of the new French domestic season scheduled for this Friday has been plunged into turmoil by Covid-19 after Olympique de Marseille said they had confirmed four cases of the virus and had their game against St Etienne called off.
By David Owen
August 18 – Michel Platini once told me that he would be annoyed if one day, when asked how their club had got on, football fans replied that the shares had gone up, rather than giving the result of a match.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 18 – It was a controversial appointment from the start and, after last Friday’s debacle, arguably football’s most inevitable instant sacking.
August 18 – Former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has finally hung up his playing boots to become head coach at Anderlecht.
August 18 – The telescoping of the UEFA club competition final rounds to a mini-knockout competition and the impact of Covid-19 has seen some surprise results but in reality has also served to emphasise the polarisation of European around the Big 5 leagues, according to research by KPMG Football Benchmark.
August 18 – Texas-based Italian-American billionaire Dan Friedkin (pictured), the new owner of Roma, has promised to turn the club into “one of the greatest names in world football” after completing his €591 million purchase of an 86.6% majority stake.
August 18 – In the latest twist and turn in the long-running Newcastle takeover saga, a Singapore-backed company Bellagraph Nova Group (BNG) has claimed it has opened ownership talks with the Tyneside club.
August 18 – Just as Bayern Munich were plotting a return to European greatness after their 8-2 demolition of Barcelona in the Champions League quarter finals, the club has been hit by racism allegations towards a leading coach in its academy that has now triggered a police investigation.