NWSL numbers shatter records and put women’s league on the TV map
July 29 – Viewing figures from the US show record numbers for the women’s club game and a significant breakthrough for the NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League).
Covid crackdown: Aussie fixture chaos as Queensland closes border to New South Wales
July 29 – Professional sport in Australia including top-flight football has once again been plunged into chaos because of the reprecussions of Covid-19.
Concacaf re-treads road to Qatar 2022 World Cup, opening up qualifying format to all 35 MAs
By Paul Nicholson
July 28 – Regional confederation Concacaf has rescheduled and re-formatted the 2022 World Cup qualifiers that will see all 35 of its FIFA member associations compete for the three places at the Qatar finals, plus the half spot inter-confederation play-off.
2021 Gold Cup revamped with preliminary 12-team qualifiers to be centralised in US
July 28 – Concacaf has scheduled the 2021 Gold Cup in the US for next July, and in a unique revamp of qualification – and to take account of lost international windows due to the Covid pandemic – the preliminary rounds will see the 12 competing teams centralised in the US.
Who’s the boss? Saudis struggle to win PL sanction for £300m Newcastle buy
July 28 – The long drawn out proposed £300 million takeover of Newcastle United by a Saudi Arabian-led consortium spearheaded by the country’s Public Investment Fund looks on the brink of collapse as confusion increases over who will actually control the club and their links with the Saudi government.
Health chief warns vaccine is needed before Premier League returns to full stadia
July 28 – The whole of next season’s Premier League might have to be played in front of reduced crowds whenever spectators are finally allowed in, according to a senior government adviser.
Copyright protection: UEFA seek bigger guns to safeguard game from marauding pirates
July 28 – In the wake of the activities of pirate broadcaster BeoutQ, UEFA has moved to protect itself from similar behaviour by issuing a tender for companies to assist in its anti-piracy efforts, with a deadline of September 4 for bids.
Bahraini royals buy into second tier Paris FC with sights set on Ligue 1
July 28 – Almost 10 years after Paris St. Germain were acquired by Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) to become one of the world’s richest clubs, their lesser-known cross-town poorer sister, Paris FC, are now also being funded by Middle Eastern money.
Oscar ready for Chinese call-up, but rules would need to change
July 28 – Brazilian playmaker Oscar says he would be willing to switch nationality to play for China if FIFA changed its eligibility rules.
South Africans agree August restart dates for closed door finish
July 28 – South African football will return to action behind closed doors with the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and the Nedbank Cup, officials have announced.
AC Milan land renewed Emirates deal but at reduced €10m a year
July 28 – AC Milan have held on to their main shirt sponsor Emirates airline in a three-year deal that will see them take a reported annual €4 million cut in the sponsorship fee.
Exclusive: Bility lays bare FIFA’s ‘corrupt’ African power games in letter to AU and UN
By Paul Nicholson
July 27 – Musa Bility has entered the FIFA integrity debate again with a hard-hitting letter to the chair of the African Union and the secretary general of the United Nations imploring them to “intervene and reform FIFA and organizations such as CAF”.
Mob rule: FIFA bans Guinea-Bissau’s dissenting Nascimento a day before re-election
July 27 – With interesting timing, FIFA has imposed a 10-year ban on the president of Guinea-Bissau’s federation, Manual Nascimento (pictured), over “an incident of mob justice.”
Premier League ends in tears for Cherries and Hornets, as Villa and Man Utd make the cut
By Andrew Warshaw
July 27 – Total elation for some, utter heartbreak for others. The English Premier League season, behind closed doors since lockdown, wound up on Sunday with Manchester United and Chelsea securing places in the Champions League at Leicester’s expense and, at the other end, Watford and Bournemouth being relegated along with already doomed Norwich City.
New Covid cases compounds season-completion issues for La Liga’s second-tier
July 27 – Spain’s second tier has been thrown into further chaos after the fixture between Deportivo la Coruna and Fuenlabrada, the final game for both of them, was cancelled after an outbreak of Covid-19 cases at Fuenlabrada.