Southgate struggles to control nursery as England’s partying kids break Covid rules again
October 7 – England manager Gareth Southgate has warned his players about their off-field behaviour in the wake of the latest breach of Covid-19 rules.
Europe
Ozil offers to pay wages of out-of-favour bench buddy Gunnersaurus
October 7 – Arsenal’s out-of-favour German international playmaker Mesut Ozil has offered to pay the salary of Jerry Quy, who has been playing the role of club mascot Gunnersaurus.
Transfers: Arsenal Partey on, Juve spend €50m on Chiesa, Man Utd grab Cavani and Telles
October 6 – With their manager under scrutiny, Manchester United were the most prolific Premier League spenders on the last day of the international summer transfer window, splashing out £28 million on four players though whether that keeps Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in his job remains to be seen.
Italian sports minister Spadafora says the Serie A show will go on, for now
October 6 – Italy’s sport minister says the season will not be halted in the wake of the Juventus-Napoli fixture, one of the biggest in the Italian calendar, being abandoned due to an apparent conflict over implementation of COVID-19 health rules.
Extinction rebellion: Fans battle to keep Arsenal’s Gunnersaurus alive
October 6 – Arsenal’s mascot became the latest victim of the club’s controversial cost-cutting exercise amid the coronavirus pandemic. Gunnersaurus was let go by the Londoners after serving the club for 27 years.
Coronavirus: Stay-at-home Napoli set to forfeit Juventus match
October 5 – One of the biggest games in European domestic league football was plunged into chaos on Sunday when visitors Napoli failed to turn up for their Serie A showdown with Juventus after their squad was placed in isolation following positive coronavirus tests.
£10m bail-out gets National League up and running
October 5 – English football’s National League – immediately below the four main divisions – returned at the weekend thanks to a £10 million rescue package from the government which allowed the delayed season to finally kick off behind closed doors.
UEFA relaxes attendance rules to allow 30% capacities, local authorities permitting
October 2 – Building on the success of the recent Super Cup, UEFA have made the landmark decision to allow limited numbers of spectators back into all its international and club fixtures.
AC Milan go through in Europa League after 24-penalty shoot-out
October 2 – AC Milan, the fallen giants of European football, needed a nerve-wracking 24-penalty shootout against unheralded Portugal side Rio Ave on Thursday to squeeze into the Europa League group stage.
UCL draw pits Messi vs Ronaldo. Bayern and Liverpool get easier group paths
October 2 – European champions Bayern Munich were handed a kind draw in the Champions League with Atletico Madrid, Salzburg and Lokomotiv Moscow, but all eyes will be on the clash between Messi’s FC Barcelona and Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo.
Coronavirus: Genoa vs Torino is first casualty of Serie A season as virus hits deep
October 2 – As widely anticipated, Saturday’s Serie A game between Genoa and Torino has been postponed after 15 positive Covid-19 tests among the Genovese staff and players as the virus continues to disrupt a spate of clubs across the Continent.
Bayern’s Lewandowski and Chelsea’s Harder take UEFA player of the year awards
October 2 – Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski has been named UEFA men’s Player of the Year for 2019-20 after a remarkable 55 goals in 47 games.
German refereeing pioneer Bibiana Steinhaus calls it a day
September 1 – Bibiana Steinhaus, the first female to officiate a men’s Bundesliga match, has retired after taking charge of the German Supercup match between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.
Big club focus returns to Champions League pay days with group draw today
By Samindra Kunti
October 1 – It’s only been a few weeks since Bayern Munich lifted the European Cup with a slick enough display to defeat first-time finalists Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in Lisbon behind closed doors. This afternoon the Champions League is back with the group stage draw and the big club interest.
No more Messi-ing about. Argentine gets with the programme
September 30 – Lionel Messi has drawn a line under his much-publicised fallout with Barcelona insisting he always had the club’s “best interests in mind” throughout the summer despite all the attention over his future.