Phil Neville’s term as England women’s coach looks set to end
April 23 – Phil Neville is to step down as England women’s coach when his contract ends next summer, according to British reports.
Arsenal players under fire for breaking social distancing guidelines
April 24 – Twenty-four hours after Premier League Tottenham Hotspur made headlines for all the wrong reasons after two of their players were reported for breaking social distancing rules, north London rivals Arsenal are in the dock for the same reason.
beIN urges Premier League to think hard before rubber stamping Newcastle’s Saudi sell-out
By Andrew Warshaw
April 22 – In a highly unusual move, the English Premier League has been urged by one of its major broadcast partners as well as one of the world’s leading human rights organisations to consider blocking a Saudi-backed consortium’s bid to buy Newcastle United.
KNVB moves to end season now as Dutch ban holding big events before Sept 1
By Andrew Warshaw
April 22 – In another blow to UEFA’s hopes of domestic leagues across Europe being completed, the Dutch Football Association has all but scrapped the rest of the season after a government ban on public events was extended until September 1 to prevent a resurgence of Covid-19 infections.
WHO issues warning over planning for an international 2020/21 season, say reports
April 21 – The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reportedly advised UEFA that football should not return to action until the end of next season in light of the coronavirus.
Season finish: UEFA relaxes hard line stance on early season finishes
April 22 – UEFA has admitted for the first time that it is prepared to accept domestic leagues being permanently called off in “special cases” because of Covid-19.
Sports Law at the Crossroads II – new dates planned for forum
April 22 – In the light of the ongoing situation, as well as considering the expected developments of the coronavirus pandemic, the IWF-RexSport Forum that was scheduled to take place in Barcelona in June has been postponed.
Germany and Sweden advance plans to restart pro leagues in May/June
April 22 – Germany looks set to become the first of the Big 5 leagues in Europe to resume playing when the spread of Covid-19 eases.
Barca to donate Camp Nou naming rights fees to battle against Covid-19
April 22 – FC Barcelona will sell the naming rights to its famous Camp Nou stadium but donate the proceeds to coronavirus funds.
SIGA Strives 12: Integrity body updates Universal Standards with help of BSI
April 22 – SIGA has updated its Universal Standards in preparation for the pilot phase of SIRVS, the rating and verification system that federations will be able to use to audit the governance integrity standards of their organisations.
Coronavirus: Spurs duo apologise for breaking lockdown guidelines
April 22 – Serge Aurier and Moussa Sissoko, both of Tottenham Hotspur, are the latest top-flight English Premier League footballers to flout government guidelines on social distancing – once again tarnishing the club’s reputation during the coronavirus.
FIFA says $1bn spend on women’s game will not be impacted by Covid-19
April 21 – FIFA has said that the coronavirus pandemic will not touch the world federation’s ambitious plans to invest $1 billion in the women’s game.
UEFA starts round of key meetings with Ceferin still confident seasons can complete
April 21 – On the eve of three days of pivotal meetings with all of European football’s main stakeholders, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin says leagues across the Continent are ready to play behind closed doors in a bid to limit the impact of Covid-19.
Player depression stats have doubled since start of lockdown, says FIFPro
April 21 – The global players’ union FIFPro has warned of a massive rise in the number of players reporting symptoms of depression or anxiety since the sport was brought to a shuddering halt by Covid-19.
Belgian court winds up Lokeren with €5m debt outstanding
April 21 – Sporting Lokeren has been declared bankrupt by a local commercial court after the Belgian club failed to find new investors to solve its debt crisis.