Covid concerns force UEFA to move Champions League draw from Athens to Nyon
September 10 – UEFA have shifted the draw for the Champions League and the Europe League away from Athens to Nyon over Covid-19 concerns.
Coronavirus
Premier League u-turn opens up September matches to live TV
September 9 – All 28 English Premier League fixtures that take place in September will be televised live following pressure from the government and fans groups to maintain last season’s arrangement of wall-to-wall games when the campaign resumed behind closed doors.
‘Huge amount at stake’ as Scots pilot return of 300 fans for Aberdeen and Celtic games
September 9 – In a potentially significant breakthrough after a six-month shutdown that has crippled club finances, two Scottish top-flight grounds are being allowed to welcome a limited number of fans to games this weekend.
Tunnel vision: West Ham test new sanitiser at training base
September 9 – West Ham United are the first English club to trial a ground-breaking Covid-19 sanitiser tunnel designed to get fans back into stadiums safely.
UEFA puts Super Cup tickets on sale for travelling Bayern and Sevilla fans
September 8 – Tickets have gone on sale for the European Super Cup between Bayern Munich and Sevilla, due to be the first UEFA club match with fans in attendance since the coronavirus shutdown.
England starlets Foden and Greenwood shamed and sent home after Covid kerfuffle
September 8 – Two of England’s most exciting young players have been sent home in disgrace from international duty for breaking Covid-19 rules as indiscipline and irresponsibility not for the first time made footballing headlines across the country.
Mbappe to miss Croatia rematch after positive Covid-19 test
September 8 – After French domestic club football was plunged into chaos because of a resurgence of Covid-19, the national team has now also been rocked with superstar Kylian Mbappe testing positive, forcing him out of tonight’s high-profile Nations League match against Croatia – a repeat of the 2018 World Cup final.
Man City Covid crisis as Mahrez and Laporte told to self-isolate
September 8 – Manchester City are the latest high-profile club to be hit with fresh Covid-19 outbreaks, with both Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte testing positive just days before the start of the new Premier League season.
Covid fear: Italian government nervous of opening stadia for start of Serie A
September 7 – With the Serie A season imminent, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has voiced his concern over fans attending matches, arguing that it would be inappropriate at the present time.
OL’s Aulas demands €117.7m from Ligue 1 for ending 2019/20 season early
September 4 – The row over the premature ending of France’s 2019/20 Ligue 1 season is rumbling on with Olympique Lyonnais (OL) demanding €117.7 million in compensation.
Coronavirus: Neymar positive test threatens PSG vs Lens fixture
September 4 – The new French season has been plunged into further chaos after defending champions Paris St Germain announced three more positive cases of COVID-19 in their squad, 24 hours after unconfirmed reports that Brazilian superstar Neymar was one of them following a holiday in Ibiza.
Bundesliga takes small steps towards small crowds under close government scrutiny
September 4 – Germany’s professional clubs want to welcome back a limited number of fans in the new Bundesliga season, but league boss Christian Seifert has admitted that it will be “a demanding and difficult season.”
Swiss stadia could open to 66% of capacity in October
September 3 – Switzerland’s professional teams are to be allowed to have their stadiums back up to two thirds full from October, one of the first countries in Europe to do so in the wake of Covid-19.
UEFA cuts Super Cup deal with Hungarians to allow fans to beat the border block
September 3 – The European Super Cup in Budapest between Bayern Munich and Seville later this month, under threat because of Hungary closing its borders to foreigners, looks like it is going ahead as planned.
Reports: Warner laid low by coronavirus
September 3 – The coronavirus has reached parts that not even the US Justice Department could reach. Trinidad press is reporting that world football’s most wanted, Jack Warner (not Lionel Messi), has tested positive for Covid-19.