By Andrew Warshaw
June 29 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino says the organisation has not given up getting its money back following the collapse of the 2006 World Cup fraud trial in Switzerland, insisting the story “is not finished” and hinting FIFA’s ethics apparatus is pursuing its own investigation.
By Paul Nicholson
June 29 – Serie A returned to beIN Sport TV schedules at the weekend following the last-minute conclusion of a deal between the broadcaster and the league over a reduction in the rights fees to be paid.
June 29 – Swiss federal prosecutors have cited former UEFA president Michel Platini in a widening of their probe into the infamous CHF 2 million “disloyal payment” made to him in 2011 by then FIFA president Sepp Blatter.
By David Owen
June 29 – Aston Villa, the famous old Birmingham-based club currently lying next to last in the Premier League table, have signed online car retailer Cazoo as their new shirt sponsor and “principal partner”.
June 29 – Football with fans in the stadia will be played in Rio de Janeiro from July 10, at one-third capacity, following a decree from local authorities. On Sunday, the Carioca championship resumed again after the mayor had suspended the tournament.
June 29 – A leading Australian commentator has heaped scorn on the English FA for refusing to back his country’s joint bid with New Zealand to stage the 2023 women’s World Cup.
June 29 – The German Bundesliga became the first major European league to conclude after the unprecedented coronavirus shutdown in March with serial champions Bayern Munich cruising the victory at Wolfsburg this weekend, Thomas Muller making history and Werder Bremen condemned to the promotion-relegation play-off.
June 29 – While English focus has been on the restart of the Premier League and Championship, grassroots football has received a boost with the FA and the Government, through Sport England, making £2.19 million available via the Football Foundation to help clubs return to football.
June 29 – Major League Soccer (MLS) says 20 players and six club staff have tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of the ‘MLS is Back Tournament’ set to begin on July 8.
By Andrew Warshaw
June 26 – Australia and New Zealand no doubt celebrated long into the night – or rather the morning given the time difference – after securing victory over Colombia to win the right to stage the 2023 women’s World Cup and make history by taking it to the southern hemisphere for the first time.
By Andrew Warshaw and Paul Nicholson
June 26 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino, unable to shake off continuing suspicion over his motives for undocumented meetings with under-fire Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber, has broken his silence by insisting it was “absurd” to suggest he had done anything wrong.
June 26 – The Brazilian FA (CBF) and local clubs are projecting an early August start and February finish for the national championship. The coronavirus pandemic prevented the top flight league from kicking off in May.
By David Owen
June 26 – FIFA will raid its well-stocked reserves to finance a COVID-19 relief plan that will make up to $1.5 billion available to the wider “football community”.
June 26 – FIFA may have canned the its quadrennial Confederations Cup, the curtain-raiser and test bed held the year before in the World Cup by the host nation, but Qatar will still have the opportunity to give its new facilities a rigorous workout in 2021 with the announcement of a new pan-Arab tournament.
June 26 – On Saturday, the NWSL Challenge Cup will kick off the new women’s season in the US, becoming the first team sport to return to play in America amid the coronavirus pandemic.