LaLiga begins first of 4-phased return to work
May 5 – La Liga has confirmed that Spain’s footballers will go back to training this week with a view to resuming fixtures in June.
Israelis and Hungarians plan end May returns for top tier leagues
May 5 – Israeli football will return at the start of June, the country’s sports minister Miri Regev announced on Monday. In Hungary, the domestic cup semi-finals will mark a return of the game on May 23.
PFA’s Taylor suggests shorter matches and more subs but says players will decide on return
May 5 – The head of the English players’ union has suggested that Premier League games might not be played over the full 90 minutes if and when the season resumes.
Corinthians losses hit record €29m as wages cut and stadium costs weigh heavy
May 5 – Brazilian giants Corinthians registered a record loss of €29.4 million last season, aggravating the financial crisis at the club.
Coronavirus: Spurs and Wembley lose NFL hosting as league moves matches back to US
May 5 – Tottenham Hotspur and Wembley have both lost two NFL matches they were set to host in London this autumn with the US major league announcing it has cancelled the four regular season games and switching them back to the US.
US women’s league says clubs can open facilities for individual training
May 5 – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in the US has said that all clubs can use of outdoor team training pitches from tomorrow (May 6) as long as the follow the league’s medical task force ‘Return to Play Phased Protocol’.
Muddling through? Premier League finds itself in a typically English pickle
By Andrew Warshaw
May 4 – The possibility of the English Premier League season resuming continues to be marred in uncertainty after clubs were told that only “approved neutral venues” will be used to host remaining fixtures.
Swiss politicians call for FIFA investigation-bungler Lauber to be fired
May 4 – More Swiss parliamentarians have joined calls for the nation’s attorney general Michael Lauber to resign after the five-year statute of limitations in the 2006 World Cup fraud investigation expired last week with no verdicts.
US women to appeal after Californian judge dismisses equal pay case
May 4 – The US women’s national squad have vowed to continue their fight after their globally publicised claims for equal pay were dismissed by a landmark court ruling, handing a significant victory to the United States Soccer Federation.
Cologne players test positive but Bundesliga stays on track with re-start plan
May 4 – The German Bundesliga’s move to get its season back on track took a knock after three FC Koln players tested positive for the coronavirus, but Germany’s minister for the interior Horst Seehofer has backed the league’s return this month.
Infantino’s Blatter complaints could become a rod for his own back
By Paul Nicholson
May 4 – FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino’s insistence on the Swiss judiciary pursuing a criminal case against former FIFA president Sepp Blatter could blow back on the governing body and potentially become a PR embarrassment for beIN Sports and PSG boss Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
Belgium Pro-league remain in limbo over lockdown and TV rights liabilities
May 4 – Yet again, Belgium’s Pro League has delayed the decision to rubber-stamp Club Brugge’s coronation as champions because of the evolving lockdown measures in the country and concerns over the TV rights contract. The league’s general assembly will now meet on May 15.
Houllier says it’s Liverpool’s title, just give it to them
May 4 – Former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier believes his old club should be awarded the Premier League title even if the season is not completed because of the Covid-19 crisis.
Ayr United go virtual with body-painted models for lockdown kit launch
May 5 – Scottish Championship club Ayr United, who in previous years have hit the headlines with body-painted models showcasing their new season kit launch, have not been put off by the restrictions of lockdown.
Money laundering Israeli Bank Hapoalim pays $30m to US Justice Dept in FIFAgate deal
By Andrew Warshaw
May 1 – In a new and unexpected twist to the FIFAgate scandal that the current regime of Gianni Infantino is determined to move on from, Israel’s largest bank, Hapoalim, has been dramatically dragged into the long-running saga by agreeing to pay $30 million for its previously unknown role in money laundering.