Messi suspended by PSG for taking Saudi trip
May 3 – Lionel Messi has been suspended by Paris St-Germain for two weeks and will be fined after an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia.
World Football
Concacaf releases draw detail for 2023/24 Nations League and route to 2024 Copa America
May 3 – Concacaf has released details of the 2023/24 Concacaf Nations League (CNL) draw which will frame the first season of the revamped competition and qualification for the major men’s national team competitions to be played in the US in 2024 and 2025. The draw will be held May 16 in Miami.
Bulgaria’s Ludogorets demand tougher action after fan unrest at CSKA derby match
May 3 – Bulgarian champion club Ludogorets Razgrad has sent an open letter to the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU), the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Bulgaria and the Ministry of Youth and Sports calling for action over the fan disturbances at their derby match against CSKA at the Bulgarian Army Stadium on Sunday.
UEFA tackles financial sustainability issues with new Working Group and an end-June timeline
May 2 – UEFA have taken a step further in their proposed rethink of their financial sustainability rules with the creation of a Working Group that will look at ‘squad cost control’ (essentially the issue of wage caps) as well as how transfer fees are accounted for by clubs.
Chilean president promises action after disorder forces key derby to be abandoned
May 2 – Chile’s president Gabriel Boric has intervened after the local derby between Universidad de Chile and Universidad Catolica was abandoned on Sunday due to fan disorder.
African Champions League marred by violence and fan death in Casablanca and Tunis
May 2 – Crowd violence and the death of a supporter marred the quarter-finals of the African Champions League this weekend.
CSKA unveil €45m stadium revamp saying it will be the most modern in Bulgaria
May 2 – Bulgaria’s CSKA Sofia has unveiled its plans for the reconstruction of the Bulgarian Army stadium.
Wolfsburg ruin Arsenal’s big night out at Emirates with semi-final decider in 119th minute
May 2 – Wolfsburg’s Pauline Bremer scored an extra-time winner to send her club to the final of the Women’s Champions League and break Arsenal’s hearts in front of an English record crowd for a women’s club game of 60,063. Wolfsburg now face Barcelona in the final.
‘Fraud’, fights and fury – Greek clubs, and their owners, play the same old games
By Matt Scott
April 28 – Greek Super League football is heading for what looks like a crunch title six-pointer on Sunday under a cloud of corruption slurs, following allegations of multiple assaults on match officials.
Concacaf releases draw details for landmark 2023 Road to W Gold Cup qualifiers
April 28 – Detail of the qualifying tournament on the ‘2023 Road to Concacaf W Gold Cup’ has been released with 33 nations taking part in the Women’s International Match Windows of September, October, and November 2023.
Paraguayan goalkeeping legend Chilavert struggles to score in his political career
April 28 – On Sunday, Jose Chilavert will be running in the Paraguayan presidential elections, but his polling numbers in the single digits suggest that his bid will likely flop.
Fluminense and Flamengo retain control of Maracanã, but Vasco still want to play there
April 28 – Fluminense and Flamengo have successfully defended their right to manage the Maracanã Stadium, as a Rio court dismissed Vasco da Gama’s request for the state government to open up bids for provisional management of the stadium.
Barca dispatch Chelsea to make it a hat-trick of Women’s Champions League finals
April 28 – Barcelona reached its third straight Women’s Champions League final after a 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Thursday in front of more than 72,000 fans at Camp Nou Stadium.
Edwards to leave USL after a decade building the US’s multi-tier national league business
April 28 – USL president Jake Edwards (pictured) is leaving the organisation after 10-years with the US league body, eight as president. He is being replaced with two internal promotions. Jeremy Alumbaugh becomes USL Championship President and Lee O’Neill takes over as USL League One President.
PFA boss Molango warns players will be ‘angry’ and that wage caps are not the solution
April 27 – Players will “rightly be angry” about UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin proposing a salary cap in European football, according to the head of England’s Professional Footballers’ Association.