Europeans battle to keep inaugural eChampions League trophy at home
May 29 – There is one Champions League trophy that won’t be going to England this weekend, in fact it might not even remain in Europe.
Competitive imbalance: Big clubs dominate big leagues with more points than ever before
May 29 – An analysis of the percentage of points needed to win one of the Big 5 European leagues shows that over the past 20 years championship winning teams have progressively increased the percentage of points available to them.
Man City’s Al Mubarak defends club spending and slams Tebas’ ‘ugly’ talk
By Andrew Warshaw
May 28 – With his club embroiled in a UEFA investigation into alleged serious breaches of financial fair play and reportedly facing a possible European ban, Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has hit back by saying some of their rivals are simply jealous of the club’s success.
FIFA slams the door on Del Nero rejecting his appeal against life ban and $1m fine
May 28 – Former Brazilian football strongman Marco Polo Del Nero (pictured) has lost his appeal against a life ban for bribery and corruption.
NY Cosmos owner Commisso closes in on Serie A’s Fiorentina
May 28 – New York Cosmos owner and billionaire businessman Rocco B. Commisso is poised to complete a takeover of Serie A club Fiorentina according to media reports.
Johansen and Kamara cleared of corruption charges in Sierra Leone court
By Andrew Warshaw
May 28 – After months of bitter in-fighting that brought the game in the country to its knees, Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) President Isha Johansen has been acquitted on all counts of corruption and is set to regain control of the federation.
Ashley’s £300m+ mooted sale of Newcastle might not be all about the money
May 28 – The on-off sales saga of Newcastle United is back in the news with the club having confirmed it is in discussion with UAE royal Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nahyan over what is now, reportedly, a £350 million deal.
Copa America: Brazil’s Tite makes first sub, dropping Neymar in favour of Alves as captain
May 28 – Neymar has been stripped of Brazil’s captaincy in the build-up to this summer’s Copa America by the country’s coach Tite. He will be replaced by Daniel Alves.
FIFA bans South Sudan’s Chabur Goc Alei for stealing grant money
May 28 – The reputation of African football administration has been plunged into yet more ignominy with former South Sudan FA president Chabur Goc Alei (pictured) the latest official banned by FIFA – for 10 years for misappropriation of funds and for bribery.
Betway go long on West Ham with 6-year renewal
May 28 – Online bookmaker Betway has renewed its shirt sponsorship of West Ham for a further six years, an unusually long term for a betting company sponsorship which often are secured on one-season renewable deals.
Villa win £170m play-off and return to the Premier League
May 28 – A year after the heartbreak of just missing out on promotion to the Holy Grail , Aston Villa, one of the iconic clubs of English football, are finally back in the Premier League.
News Analysis: Liverpool vs Spurs – World champions of profit deal their way to CL glory
By David Owen
May 27 – It would be difficult to make the case ahead of Saturday’s Champions League final that Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, the two teams set to lock horns in the Wanda Metropolitano, are indisputably the two best sides in Europe.
French charge PSG boss and new UEFA exco member Al-Khelaifi with corruption
May 24 – Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, one of the most influential figures in world sports administration, has reportedly been charged in France with corruption over Qatari bids to host the world athletics championships.
Three-country Gulf pact leads pack of bidders for U-20 World Cup in 2021
May 24 – Eight countries, including a potential three country bid from the Gulf states, have expressed interest in the U-20 World Cup in 2021. The 2019 edition has just kicked off in Poland.
Wenger critical of Baku venue as Azeri insist Mkhitaryan would be safe
May 24 – Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has added his voice to criticism surrounding UEFA’s choice of Azerbaijan for next week’s all-English Europa League final – and says the absence of Henrikh Mkhitaryan for political reasons “should not happen” in this day and age.