UEFA feels wrath of Liverpool over Kiev and the CL festival of money-grabbing
May 14 – UEFA’s decision to stage next week’s Champions League final in Kiev “needs explaining” according to Liverpool’s head of club and supporter liaison.
Europe
Greek tragedy adds a farcical chapter as Spanish ref in the firing line for cup final
By Paul Nicholson
May 11 – At the end of a season of unprecedented turmoil and allegations of corruption that have pointed to matchfixing and match manipulation within the highest administrative levels of the Greek game, the Hellenic Football Federation (HFF) have finally decided to fly in a non-Greek referee for the final match of its season.
Wenger warning for top Euro leagues, saying big club Super League is inevitable
May 11 – Outgoing Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says the introduction of a European super league, resisted for years by football’s authorities, is “inevitable” and says Premier League matches will ultimately be moved to midweek.
Messages of support flow for Ferguson as surgery reported to have gone ‘extremely well’
May 8 – Goodwill messages are continuing to pour in for Sir Alex Ferguson, one of world football’s most iconic managerial figures who is recovering in hospital after undergoing emergency surgery for a brain haemorrhage.
Can le rouge et le noir of Les Herbiers beat PSG to provide fairy tale finale to French Cup?
By David Owen
May 8 – All cup competitions produce shock results, but the century-old Coupe de France must be in a league of its own.
Besiktas stick to their principles and refuse to return to complete Fenerbahce semi-final
May 4 – In what must be virtually a unique scenario, Besiktas kept their word on Thursday and failed to turn up for the controversial resumption of their abandoned Turkish Cup semi-final second leg at Fenerbahce.
100,000 signatures push safe standing issue into English parliament for debate
May 2 – Safe standing areas in the top two divisions in English football is to be debated in Parliament on June 25 after a petition to have the matter discussed reached 100,000 signatures last week.
Dortmund’s Şahin signs for Harvard Business School
By David Owen
May 1 – Nuri Şahin has struck a blow for footballer-intellectuals, gaining admittance to the uber-prestigious Harvard Business School in the United States.
Besiktas refuse to return to Fenerbahce to play last 33 mins of abandoned Cup semi-final
April 27 – The Turkish Football Federation have announced that the remainder of the Turkish Cup semifinal, abandoned because of crowd trouble by Fenerbahce fans, will take place on May 3 behind closed doors – but Besiktas say they will refuse to turn up.
UEFA goes to market with Official Match Ball and Lifestyle rights for women’s comps
April 27 – UEFA, which has recently unbundled its women’s competition rights from its men’s competitions, has issued a tender for the supply of the Official Match Ball and Lifestyle Partner for the 2018-21 cycle of women’s competitions.
Turkey submit bid book for 2024 Euro hosting saying it is now their time
April 24 – They may have been second to the punch in terms of submitting their bid book to host the 2024 European Championship finals but Turkey hope they will be first when the vote takes place in September.
Safe-standing lobby refuse to take back seat, forcing debate to be scheduled in Parliament
April 26 – A petition calling for English Premier League and Championship clubs to be allowed to have limited standing areas at their stadiums has been signed by 100,000 people, the threshold that means it will now be considered for debate by parliamentarians.
UEFA hand Panathinaikos European ban as club’s debt crisis mounts
April 25 – Greek football, consistently in turmoil on and off the pitch, has been plunged into yet more ignominy with the country’s oldest and most revered club Panathinaikos banned from European competition for a year for failing to pay their debts, with the sanction covering the next three seasons.
Man left critically ill after clash between Liverpool and Roma fans
April 25 – Violence before the Liverpool-Roma Champions League semi-final clash at Anfield has left a 53-year-old male Liverpool fan in critical condition in hospital.
Germany submits EURO 2024 bid book promising to ‘build bridges’ between people
By Andrew Warshaw
April 24 – With so much focus concentrated on the narrative over the 2026 World Cup vote, it may have been forgotten that there is another battle going on to stage the European Championship finals two years earlier.