Chinese poised to buy Spain’s Granada CF from Italy’s Pozzo family
May 26 – Rumoured Chinese investment in Spanish club Granada CF looks to be nearing completion with reports that a figure of €37 million has been agreed.
Europe
No private jet for Van Praag as he keeps election costs under control
May 26 – Michael van Praag, the only declared candidate so far to become the new president of UEFA, is unlikely to be accused of overspending in his effort to replace Michel Platini.
Romanian cash crisis deepens as top clubs docked points and cut from Euro competition
May 26 – Three Romanian top-flight clubs have had points deducted for failing to put their financial affairs in order.
Hitting the wrong note: UEFA slaps fines on Liverpool and Man Utd songsters
May 25 – Liverpool and Manchester United have both been fined by UEFA for offensive chanting during their Europa League last-16 tie.
News analysis: Who will run UEFA?
By James Dostoyevsky
UEFA is in a quagmire of its own making and one that is much welcomed by Gianni Infantino, the ‘little child’, who ascended to the FIFA Emperor’s Throne, only to stumble from blunder to blunder, with no end in sight.
Czechs and French get a group grip in Toulon, England expects…
May 23 – As the half way stage of the group matches at the Toulon Tournament nears, the European nations are dominating, the Czech Republic and France looking almost certain to qualify for the final four.
Leicester show ‘value’ transfers can win; Real and Barca just splash the cash
May 23 – Big money transfer spending does not necessarily bring success, as Louis van Gaal found out to his personal cost at Manchester United this season. The CIES Football Observatory has ranked clubs in the Big 5 Leagues according to the average transfer cost per player fielded.
French Cup chaos as PSG run out winners and Marseilles fans run riot
By Samindra Kunti in Paris
May 23 – Paris Saint-Germain and a departing Zlatan Ibrahimovic won a 10th French Cup against Marseille at the Stade de France in a final that descended into ugly scenes after the final whistle as Marseilles fans stormed the pitch and set fires in the stands.
Scottish cup final chaos as fans invade pitch
May 23 – Scottish football authorities have launched an urgent inquiry into Saturday’s mass pitch invasion that marred Hibernian’s first Scottish cup triumph for 114 years.
Liverpool and Sevilla UEFA sanctions after Europa Cup final ‘disturbances’
May 23 – UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against Liverpool and Sevilla for “crowd disturbances” at last week’s Europa League final.
England and France open with wins in Toulon as nations search for stars
May 20 – With league seasons over in Europe and Cup finals being played, attention is rapidly switching to the big international tournaments of the 2016 Euros, Copa America Centenario and the Olympic Games in Rio. One tournament that kicked off in Euros host nation France this week was the 2016 Toulon Tournament.
English Football League proposes revamp with fifth professional division
May 20 – The biggest shake-up in the English professional football pyramid since the Premier League was set up in 1992 has been proposed, with a new fifth division of 20 clubs from 2019-20.
Van Praag says he will return UEFA to ‘cohesive unit’ but won’t stay long
By Andrew Warshaw
May 19 – Dutch football chief Michael van Praag says he is running for UEFA president to put the organisation back on an even keel before handing over to someone younger.
Troubled Twente hit with relegation for breaking money rules
By Samindra Kunti
May 19 – The Dutch FA, the KNVB, has relegated FC Twente from the domestic top flight, the Eredivisie, as punishment for breaching financial regulations. Twente will, however, maintain their professional license.
UEFA treads warily with integration of Kosovo into football family
May 19 – UEFA are to set up a special task force to determine how to accommodate Kosovo in their various competitions. Kosovo were accepted as a full member of FIFA last Friday, a week after being admitted to UEFA despite fierce opposition from Serbia.