April 29 – Fresh from seeing his European Super League dreams crushed by fan power and political intervention, Andrea Agnelli, the under-pressure president of Juventus, is already back in the spotlight – this time apparently telling an Italian prosecutor that he was not responsible for rigging an Italian language exam taken by Luis Suárez last year.
By Paul Nicholson
April 27 – “This is a true revolution. This is do or die now. If they don’t chop their heads off they will become victims again within a few years time.” Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, former European Leagues boss and head of global integrity group SIGA is unequivocal in his assessment of what needs to be done next following the collapse of the European Super League.
April 27 – AC Milan and Juventus will be thrown out of Serie A if they continue their association with the ill-fated European Super League project after Italian Football Federation (FIGC) approved new legislation.
April 27 – A survey of eFootball activity within 35 European federations has found that 92% of FAs plan to field their own eNational teams in 2021 with 83% planning their own tournaments and leagues.
April 27 – Veteran Swedish international striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is facing a UEFA probe into “alleged financial interest in a betting company” and could face a three-year ban if found guilty.
By Paul Nicholson
April 23 – Juventus boss Andrea Agnelli, a key leadership figure in the failed European Super League breakaway, has allegedly deferred his players’ salaries, according to a well-informed Insideworldfootball source.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 26 – UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin is keeping up the pressure on the 12 clubs who sought to set up the European Super League as English fans maintained their opposition to the aborted project.
April 26 – US bank and Super League backer JP Morgan has apologised for its role in the European Super League (ESL) fiasco, admitting that it misjudged the reaction from fans.
April 26 – In an unprecedented show of anti-discrimination unity, the entire professional pyramid of English football have joined forces to boycott social media next weekend in response to the online abuse aimed at players in recent weeks.
April 26 – Wales men’s team coach Ryan Giggs will miss this summer’s rescheduled Euros after being charged with assaulting two women.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 23 – Bilbao and Dublin have been stripped of hosting rights by UEFA for this summer’s delayed Euro 2020 Championship because of concerns over whether fans would be definitely be allowed into stadia.
By Paul Nicholson
April 23 – Suspicions are multiplying that the hand of FIFA president Gianni Infantino was present behind the scenes in the encouragement of the 12 breakaway European Super League clubs.
By Samindra Kunti
April 23 – Amid a firestorm of condemnation and outrage at secretly concocted European Super League (ESL) plans, FC Barcelona have signalled their continued commitment to a proposed closed-shop, elite competition, highlighting “a need for structural reforms” and calling the backlash “intimidation” in an unapologetic statement.
By Paul Nicholson
April 22 – Spain’s Laliga, and its clubs, are keeping their foot firmly on the pedal of opposition to the now fractured European Super League. With its two biggest clubs – Real Madrid and Barcelona – belligerent in their belief that the ESL is the way forward, the league’s clubs issued a statement rejecting the format, followed by a press conference that forcefully emphasised their unity in opposition.
By David Owen
April 22 – The 2019-20 European club football season was overshadowed, interrupted and ultimately elongated by covid. Even so, UEFA still managed to distribute well over €2.4 billion to the clubs which took part in its main competitions.