Spanish court forces RFEF to halt rigged VAR tender process
April 25 – A commercial court in Madrid has provisionally suspended the VAR tender for LaLiga that was being run by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
Europe
UEC club body launched to give smaller ‘big’ clubs a voice in Europe
By Samindra Kunti in Brussels
April 25 – With the firm support of Spain’s La Liga, the Union of European Clubs (UEC) was launched on Monday, promising to represent Europe’s smaller and medium-sized clubs to counterbalance – but not fight – the European Club Association (ECA), an organisation seen to defend the interests of a small cabal of elite clubs.
UEFA Football Board gets hands-on with rules at first meeting in Nyon
April 25 – A host of football legends and stellar names in management and coaching came together for the newly created UEFA Football Board on Monday, set up to discuss the sport’s most pressing topics.
Germany to play 1,000th international against Ukraine as a charity match
April 25 – Germany are set to turn their 1,000th international match in June into a charity fixture against Ukraine.
Olimpiacos fans clash with police after loss to AEK ends their title hopes
April 25 – Olympiacos ran riot after the club’s 3-1 derby loss to AEK Athens that ended Olympiacos’ chances of winning the Greek Super League.
Netherlands’ AZ Alkmaar land first UEFA title with Youth League win over Hadjuk Split
April 25 – Dutch club AZ Alkmaar stunned Croatia’s Hadjuk Split with a 5-0 win in the UEFA Youth League final in Geneva, sending the travelling Croatian support of nearly 10,000 fans home disappointed.
ECA launches Fixture Hub to take the pain and risk out of arranging friendlies
April 25 – The European Club Association (ECA) and data analytics specialist LCP have launched the ECA Fixture Hub, an online platform for football friendly fixtures coordination across Europe.
European Leagues calls on UEFA for a 10% share of its €4.8bn revenue
April 24 – The umbrella body that represents Europe’s domestic leagues has urged UEFA to substantially increase the amount of money it gives clubs that do not qualify for its three club competitions.
Wrexham script a Hollywood ending with return to EFL
April 24 – Wrexham secured a fairy tale return to the English Football League after a 15-year absence with their Hollywood owners watching on as they beat Boreham Wood 3-1 to win the National League with a game to spare on Saturday.
Levski Sofia owner Sirakov launches ‘business club’ to raise cash to pay off tax debts
April 24 – The owner of Bulgaria’s Levski Sofia, Nasko Sirakov, has founded the Levski Business Club, which aims to raise funds to repay Levski’s tax debts that currently stand at about BGN 11 million (€5.5 million).
UEFA opens ticket sales for Champions League, Europa League and Conference League finals
April 24 – UEFA has opened ticket sales for all three its upcoming men’s club competition finals.
Juve 15-point penalty suspended as case to be returned to court
April 21 – Juventus’ 15-point penalty for alleged false accounting in transfer dealings was revoked on Thursday but the spectre of sanction did not disappear after Italy’s highest sporting court ruled that the case should be re-examined and the long bans meted out to former chairman Andrea Agnelli, ex-CEO Maurizio Arrivabene and sporting directors Federico Cherubini and Fabio Paratici were upheld.
Newcastle United visit Belgium’s KV Oostende for takeover talks
April 21 – Newcastle United and their Saudi owners, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), have reportedly expressed interest in buying Belgian club KV Oostende, recently relegated from the top flight.
Police close Voska stadium for top of table clash, but Vardar fans say that won’t stop them
April 21 – Local authorities in Ohrid have closed the stadium to fans for the top of the table clash in the North Macedonian second division between Voska Sport and Vardar Skopje because of fears of violence.
Juve wait for appeal decision in ‘false accounting’ case
April 20 – Juventus are expected to find out later today whether their appeal against a 15-point penalty for false accounting in transfer dealings has been successful.