Belgian FA restructures playing department and financial issues begin to bite
August 14 – In the latest management shuffle at the RBFA, the operational director of the Belgian FA Jelle Schelstraete will depart the governing body.
Europe
UEFA lands first cryptocurrency sponsor for Champions League
August 14 – Crypto.com has become a sponsor of the Champions League for the 2024–27 commercial cycle, the first cryptocurrency partner of the competition.
France’s Ligue 2 fan groups plan protests against LFP and beIN Sports scheduling
August 13 – France’s Ligue 2 opens its 2024/25 season on Friday but with a growing fan protest over broadcast scheduling will likely do so in front of empty stadia.
Carsley takes England role on interim basis for Nations League
August 12 – England have delayed hiring a permanent coach to replace Gareth Southgate and will be led on an interim basis by Lee Carsley, currently in charge of the country’s under-21 team.
Sony keeps its PlayStation brand front and centre of Champions League sponsorship
August 8 – Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has added another three years to its UEFA sponsorship of the Champions League which it uses to promote its PlayStation brand of products.
Bayern Munich’s Hoeness calls expanded international calendar ‘madness’
August 9 – Bayern Munich’s honorary president Uli Hoeness is the latest figure to denounce the expansion of the footballing calendar – taking aim at UEFA as well as FIFA.
French Ligue2 clubs grow opposition to Friday night match scheduling
August 8 – The decision to reschedule French Ligue 2 fixtures from Saturday evenings to Friday nights has sparked an increasing backlash, with USL Dunkerque becoming the latest club to voice its concerns.
England’s far-right rioters face stadium bans as season kicks-off this weekend
August 8 – Far-right rioters who have taken part in a week of violence across the UK could be barred from football matches.
Romanian city of Iasi commits to €113m new stadium
August 8 – Mihai Chirica, mayor of the Romanian city of Iasi, has said he is restarting the project to build a new stadium in the city Iasi, which is located close to the Moldovan border.
Belgium’s Aalst expelled from regional league over failure to find a suitable stadium
August 8 – Eendracht Aalst, who play in the second tier of Belgian football in a regional league, have been removed from competition by Voetbal Vlaa after mismanagement resulted in the Flemish club losing access to a suitable pitch.
Rodri and Morata handed one-game bans for anti-English political hate chant
August 7 – Spanish internationals Rodri and Alvaro Morata have both been handed a one-game ban by UEFA over chants they made regarding the sovereignty of Gibraltar and which were a direct taunt at England.
Roadkill: Boozed up Polish VAR officials stood down from UCL tie after stealing road sign
August 7 – Two Polish referees were stood down at the 11th hour from Tuesday’s Champions League match between Dynamo Kyiv and Rangers after they were reportedly arrested for drunkenly stealing a road sign.
Torquay United defender charged with 289 breaches of betting rules
August 7 – The English Football Association (FA) has continued its crackdown on players betting on football with Torquay United defender Austen Booth being charged with 289 betting offences.
Turkish SuperLig rebrands with new logo, trophy and slogan
August 7 – The Turkish SuperLig has updated its brand image and visual identity ahead of the new season. A few days before the kick-off of the new campaign, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) unveiled a new Super Lig logo, a new trophy and a new motto.
UEFA draws final qualification ties for new Champions League format
August 6 – Turkish champions Galatasaray have been drawn against Young Boys, currently last in the Swiss league, in a playoff round to advance to the new Champions League format.