World’s highest paid union boss calls for ‘open review’
November 22 – English football’s players’ union boss Gordon Taylor has responded to growing criticism of his leadership by announcing “a full and open review” into his organisation.
Europe
Nations League off to good start, says UEFA chief. But Super League is a non-starter
By Andrew Warshaw
November 21 – Europe’s new Nations League competition, designed to do away with meaningless friendlies, has proven far more successful than UEFA imagined, according to UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.
Ceferin promises more robust FFP but refuses to be drawn on Man City or PSG
November 21 – UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has admitted that “weak” aspects of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules are potentially allowing clubs to exploit loopholes and says the system will be tightened up.
Video refs could debut in Champions League this season
November 21 – UEFA looks set to fast-track the implementation of video assistant referees (VAR) for the knockout stages of this season’s Champions League after growing pressure to fall into line with most of Europe’s domestic leagues and following the system’s success at the World Cup.
Ceferin slams ‘secret’ FIFA deals as UEFA and its clubs draw closer with EU support
By Andrew Warshaw
November 20 – Without mentioning Gianni Infantino by name, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin today issued a veiled attack on what he described as “secret” deals orchestrated by his opposite number at FIFA as the row over an alleged plan to sell off FIFA’s World Cup rights as part of a $25 billion deal with a consortium linked to Saudi Arabia escalated.
Ceferin and Agnelli call for European unity and dismiss Super League as ‘fiction’
November 20 – UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has made his most categoric statement to date against the idea of a European Super League.
Dutch last-gasp equaliser knocks French out of Nations League final spot
November 20 – No Germany, no Spain – and now no France. It may be premature to suggest that the power in European football is shifting but few would have predicted the four finalists of the inaugural Nations League competition.
Swiss and English win Nations League thrillers to reach finals; Portugal to host
November 19 – England, Switzerland and Portugal emerged as the big winners at the weekend as the new Nations League competition, initially derided by many as being unwieldy and over-complicated, took centre stage.
European clubs back UEFA, say no to Super League but yes to new 3rd tier Euro club comp
November 15 – European clubs have promised to stay unified with UEFA on the future of competitions such as the Champions League amid reports that a breakaway Super League could soon emerge.
FA’s Brexit proposal on foreign player quotas breaks current immigration rules
November 15 – With Brexit deals for the formal separation of the UK from Europe in full debate, the English Football Association (FA) has entered the fray with a proposal to cut the number of foreign players in Premier League squads.
FIFPro anti breakaway Super league but says players should not be banned
November 14 – The international players’ union FIFPro says it will oppose any attempt to ban its members if they take part in an elite-only European Super league even though it says it is against the principle of a breakaway.
AC Milan and Inter agree plan to work toward new shared stadium
November 14 – AC Milan and Internazionale, bitter rivals who share the same San Siro stadium, have agreed a Memorandum of Understanding underwriting their willingness to work together towards the construction of a new shared stadium.
PSG under fire for racial profiling players selected for club’s academy
November 9 – France’s Human Rights League says it will file a legal complaint against Paris Saint Germain (PSG) following yet more exposure from Football Leaks into the club’s way of operating, this time over alleged racism within its scouting system.
Turkish FA issues fines and suspensions after Galatasaray and Fenerbahce pitch brawl
November 9 – Players and officials from Turkish arch rivals Galatasaray and Fenerbahce have been suspended for up to eight matches by the Turkish FA’s disciplinary board (PFDK) after a mass brawl broke out at the end of last Friday’s Super League fixture.
UEFA issues tender for Euro 2020 hospitality rights
November 9 – UEFA has opened up the tender process for official Euro 202 hospitality sales agents –the territories available exclude England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.