UEFA to consider expanding top tier of Nations League
September 24 – Governing body UEFA is considering a shakeup of the Nations League by expanding the top tier of the competition.
Europe
Thomas Cook collapse hits fans booked to follow English clubs in Europe
September 24 – Hundreds of fans are awaiting news on whether packages for upcoming games will be valid following the collapse this week of the Thomas Cook travel company.
Shutting out racists: UEFA slaps stadium bans on Romania, Hungary and Slovakia
September 24 – Clearly having lost patience with the scourge of racism throughout European football, UEFA has hit Romania, Hungary and Slovakia with stadium bans that could have serious consequences for their Euro 2020 qualification hopes.
Two jailed for hacking CCTV of Sala post-mortem
September 24 – Two people who illegally accessed CCTV footage of Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala’s post-mortem examination and who were “driven by morbid curiosity” have been jailed.
Former Liverpool and EPL exec Parry in pole position to be new chair of EFL
September 20 – Former Premier League and Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry is set to be appointed as the English Football League’s new chairman.
French drop League Cup to ‘ease’ pressure on calendar
By Andrew Warshaw
September 18 – French authorities are scrapping the country’s League Cup after this season, leaving England as the only major European footballing nation with two domestic knockout competitions.
Anti-discrimination groups demand action against ‘not fit for purpose’ Italian regulators
September 19 – The head of European football’s main anti-discriminatory body has slammed Italian officials for failing to deal with increasing instances of abuse saying the authorities are “not fit for purpose”.
Rangers hero and Dutch ‘warrior’ Fernando Ricksen dies, aged 43
September 19 – Former Rangers and Netherlands player Fernando Ricksen has passed away at the age of 43 following a brutal six-year battle with motor neurons disease ALS.
Naughty tweeter Neymar’s ban reduced but still misses PSG’s opening UCL games
September 18 – Neymar’s three-game European ban for insulting match officials has been cut to two by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Sevilla keep up expansion with €20m spend on corporate hub
September 18 – LaLiga’s Sevilla have unveiled further plans for the €20 million extension of their Ciudad Deportiva José Ramón Cisneros Palacios complex into a new corporate centre for the club.
New ball, new tournament, old rivalries. UEFA’s Champions League kicks off tonight
September 17 – The new Champions League season kicks off tonight, with a new Adidas ball and defending champions Liverpool taking on Napoli and FC Barcelona traveling to Dortmund.
Police across Europe swoop on Belgian agents in Mitrovic transfer fraud probe
By Samindra Kunti
September 12 – Player agent Christophe Henrotay (pictured) and his brother-in-law and business associate Christophe Cheniaux have been detained by police over alleged transfer fraud. Former Anderlecht manager Herman Van Holsbeek was also held in custody on Wednesday.
WSL intensifies marketing with Spurs vs Arsenal spearheading November promo weekend
September 12 – After the popular success of the opening weekend of the Women’s Super League (WSL), the English FA wants to capitalise on the momentum by urging fans to attend its first Women’s Football Weekend on 16-17 November, during the men’s international break.
‘United’ ECA fail to find agreement on Champions League reform
By Samindra Kunti
September 11 – The European Club Association (ECA) and its chairman Andrea Agnelli (pictured) have said that reform talks to restructure European club football might drag on another “18 months” or even have a 2022 deadline after failing to find enough of a consensus for the current proposal of a 32-team Champions League with a guaranteed entry for 24 clubs. They maintain however that the proposal isn’t dead in the water yet.
France’s Le Graët under fire after saying matches won’t be stopped for homophobic chants
September 11 – The president of the French Football Federation Noël Le Graët has instructed referees that they should no longer stop matches over homophobic chants. The directive has prompted anti-discrimination groups to demand that Le Graët resigns.