LaLiga demands greater powers to punish racism, police make arrests over Vinicius ‘hate crimes’
May 24 – In the aftermath of the Vinicius Jr racism scandal, La Liga will request greater power to punish incidents of racism in Spanish football.
Europe
Serbian FA sanctions FC Kolubara with 9 point deduction for match-fixing
May 24 – The Football Association of Serbia (FSS) has punished Serbian Super League team FK Kolubara Lazarevac with a nine point deduction, one round before the end of the season, virtually ensuring the club will be relegated to the second tier for next season.
Serie A’s De Siervo promises ‘zero tolerance’ on racism
May 25 – The head of Serie A Luigi De Siervo has said that Italian football will adopt a “zero tolerance” stance towards racist fans, and will leverage technology to identify culprits and enforce stadium bans.
Manchester City are bookies favourites for Champions League Glory
May 24 – The Champions League final is fast approaching and the betting market is becoming frenzied with guides and betting tips providing online players and bettors with winner odds and lists of the latest soccer betting sites and best betting apps available on the market.
Istanbul warms up for final with UEFA Champions Festival
May 24 – UEFA has launched detail of its Champions Festival that will run alongside the Champions League Final between Manchester City and Internazionale at Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul on Saturday June 10.
More monkey chants at Vinicius sparks wider racism row over LaLiga’s failure to act
May 23 – Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr has said La Liga is a league of racists, but Javier Tebas has vehemently defended the way the Spanish topflight deals with racism.
Juventus hit with new 10 point penalty, pushing them out of European club qualification slots
May 23 – Juventus have been pushed back down the Serie A table after an Italian tribunal made a ruling to dock them 10 points for the current season. The points loss puts them outside European club competition qualification with two games left to play.
Ukraine’s Shaktar condemn Barca stars’ Russian message; FIFA extends contract suspension rule
May 23 – Shakhtar Donetsk CEO Sergei Palkin has condemned FC Barcelona players after their video message thanking Russian fans for their support on La Liga’s Telegram Channel.
Van Damme joins elite group of female FA presidents as she tackles task of uniting Belgian game
May 23 – Pascale Van Damme has become the first female president of the Belgian FA (RFBA) succeeding Paul Van Den Bulck, who departed after an internal power struggle.
Botev Plovdiv ultras force players to remove their shirts after loss to Lokomotiv Sofia
May 22 – Ultras from Bulgaria’s Botev Plovdiv stormed the pitch following the team’s loss to Lokomotiv Sofia in the Bulgarian championship, attacking players and stripping them of their shirts.
Belgian FA in turmoil as Van Den Bulck loses board confidence and quits
May 19 – After less than a year in his position, Paul Van Den Bulck (pictured) has resigned as the president of the Belgian FA (RBFA) due to tensions with the board of directors. He had ousted long serving Peter Bossaert as CEO two months previously.
Dutch police open probe into AZ Alkmaar fan attacks on West Ham players’ families
May 19 – Dutch police have opened an investigation after families and friends of West Ham players were attacked at the Conference League semi-final against AZ Alkmaar.
Kosovan FA probes match-fixing allegation in women’s championship
May 19 – The Kosovo Football Federation (FFK) has launched an investigation into a match in the country’s women’s football championship. An audio recording was leaked to local media claiming that Hajvalia players tried to bribe Mitrovica players ahead of the derby between the two teams in March.
High and fire club owners set records for manager sackings; Premier League is most trigger happy
May 19 – Being a manager of club in one of Europe’s Big 5 leagues has never been more precarious. This season more than 170 head coaches have been used by the 98 clubs, an average of 1.73 per club.
Man City masterclass brushes off Real Madrid to set up Champions Final with Inter
May 18 – Manchester City pulverised holders Real Madrid 4-0 to reach the final of the Champions League and keep their dream of a treble alive.