EC gives Panathinaikos €115m boost to begin build of new Athens stadium
May 18 – Greece’s Panathinaikos have been given the go-ahead to begin construction of the club’s new stadium in Votanikos, Athens.
Europe
Serbia initiates €20m country wide stadium renovation plan with encouragement of UEFA
May 17 – The Football Association of Serbia (FSS), with the help of UEFA, will invest over €20 million to modernise a number of the stadiums in the country, with many to receive state-of-the-art turf pitches.
UEFA sells out UCL women’s final as attendance records continue to tumble
May 16 – For the first time, the Women’s Champions League final will be sold out with all 34,100 tickets for the flagship match between FC Barcelona and Wolfsburg at the PSV Stadium in Eindhoven sold.
German VP Herman Winkler hits bad traffic over Zelensky social media post
May 16 – German Football Association (DFB) Vice President Hermann Winkler issued an apology on Monday for a social media post that mocked the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Berlin. During Zelensky’s visit, central parts of Berlin were under security lockdown.
Euro U17 finals kick off in Estonia with wins for Spain, England, France and Swiss
May 16 – The opening round of the 2023 UEFA European Women’s Under-17 Championship in Estonia on Sunday saw Spain, Switzerland, France and England all make winning starts.
North Macedonia’s Vardar Skopje fans open donation page to keep team playing through promotion play-off final
May 16 – Supporters of North Macedonia’s most decorated club Vardar Skopje are making a new attempt to save their team, which has been torn apart by financial problems.
Real Madrid lose €400m claim against IPIC for ending its deal to sponsor Bernabéu revamp
May 15 – Real Madrid have lost a claim for €400 million in the Court of International Trade in Paris for the breaking of a sponsorship agreement with the International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) in 2017.
Protesting Groningen fans invade pitch forcing abandonment of Ajax league match
May 15 – On the weekend that Feyenoord clinched the Eredivisie league title, the Groningen vs Ajax tie had to be suspended after nine minutes fater fans let off of flares and fireworks.
Lewandowski’s goals and Xavi’s defensive focus steer Barca back to winning titles
May 15 – Spanish giants FC Barcelona won their 27th league title after two first-half goals from Robert Lewandowski led the club to a 4-2 victory against crosstown rivals Espanyol. It’s Barcelona’s first title in four years and comes at a welcome time with major financial problems and the shadow of a refereeing scandal off the pitch.
Textor-owned Molenbeek repay investor confidence with a return to Belgian top flight
May 15 – With a 1-0 victory against RSCA Futures, RWD Molenbeek ensured their return to the Belgian topflight after a 21-year absence.
Turkey’s Buraspor agrees one season stadium naming rights deal as it targets climb back up the leagues
May 15 – Turkey’s Bursaspor has sold the naming rights to its stadium to Turkish company Sütaş.
Croatia
How they qualified
The Croatians did not qualify the easy way for the finals. In a tough group, they struggled with an opening defeat at home to Austria, 3-0. A 1-1 draw with France kept the East Europeans in the race and with perseverance two wins against Denmark as well as a victory in Paris proved to be decisive. They edged the team of Kasper Hjulmand Danish team for the top spot by a single point.
Spain
How they qualified
Like the other finalists, Spain were inconsistent in the group stage with a home defeat to Switzerland and a draw against the Czech Republic. Alvaro Morata got his team across the finish line with a late strike in a 1-0 win away to Portugal.
Tournament record
Spain didn’t make the finals in 2019, finishing runners-up behind England in their group, but they came close in the last edition.
Italy
How they qualified
En route to the Netherlands, they were beaten 5-2 by Germany, but Roberto Mancini’s came good with back-to-back wins against England and Hungary to top Group 3 on 11 points, one more than the Eastern Europeans.
Tournament record
Italy staged the last edition of the final four in Torino and Milano and suffered defeat at the hands of Spain in the semi-finals 2-1.
Greek Cup final at last finds venue prepared to host incendiary AEK and PAOK, Albania kept as back-up
May 12 – The Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) have at last found a venue willing and able to host the Greek Cup final between AEK Athens and PAOK Thessaloniki on May 24. The Panthessaliko Stadium in Volos will host a final that will be played behind closed doors.