US and Mexico to headline opening doubleheader of Concacaf W Championship
May 13 – USA vs Haiti and Mexico vs Jamaica will open the Concacaf W Championship on July 4 at Estadio Universitario in Monterrey, Mexico.
World Football
Ecuador’s 2022 spot on the line as FIFA open case into whether Castillo is in fact Colombian
May 12 – Ecuador’s place in this year’s World Cup finals appears to be in seriously jeopardy after FIFA opened a disciplinary case looking into whether the country fielded an ineligible player during qualifying.
UEFA reports €5.7bn revenue record, boosts HatTrick funding to €17m per MA for 2024-28 cycle
May 12 – UEFA’s revenue record breaking Euro 2020 championships, played last year, have provided confidence for a bumper 21% increase in budget for the confederation’s HatTrick programme for the 2024-2028 cycle.
Ajax make it hattrick of consecutive Dutch titles and 36th overall
May 12 – Ajax have been crowned Dutch champions for a record 36th time following a resounding 5-0 victory against Herenveen, securing a direct ticket to the Champions League group stages.
Ukraine back in action against Gladbach as 2022 qualifier dates near
May 12 – Ukraine’s men’s national team has played its first match since the Russian invasion – against Germany’s Borussia Monchengladbach on Wednesday.
Nice condemn fans for Sala chant
May 12 – French side Nice have condemned a section of their own supporters for a sickening chant mocking the late Emiliano Sala.
Ceferin says football is a loser in the Ukraine war after a year of winning big battles
By Andrew Warshaw
May 11 – From staving off the threat of a breakaway super league to organising the Euros in 11 countries during an unprecedented pandemic to ploughing all but three percent of its budget back into football, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin today issued a point-by-point appraisal of his organisation’s achievements over the past year.
Infantino keeps up defense of Qatar’s human rights record and calls for peace in Ukraine
By Samindra Kunti in Vienna
May 11 – Gianni Infantino has said that the “the undeniable progress” on migrant worker rights host nation Qatar has made will be part of the 2022 World Cup legacy.
EC’s Schinas tells UEFA Congress that Super League must never be allowed to happen
By Samindra Kunti in Vienna
May 11 – European Commission vice-president Margaritis Schinas has told UEFA that the EU will act “to defend the football model” against any attempts to bring back the European Super League.
Ceferin defends keeping Russia as a UEFA member as sanctions re-inforced
By Andrew Warshaw
May 11 – UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has defended the decision not to throw the Russian federation and its officials out of his organisation, implying that would be one step too far in terms of punishments imposed as a result of the invasion of Ukraine.
UEFA agrees new UCL format but scraps ‘grandfathered’ slots and drops two match days
By Andrew Warshaw
May 11 – Buffeted by criticism from leagues and fans, UEFA has scrapped plans to hand Champions League places to clubs based on past success.
UEFA ‘clusters’ matches for Euro 2024 with opener in Munich and final in Berlin
May 11 – The Euro 2024 championships in Germany will open at the Fussball Arena in Munich, and close with the final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
Liverpool vs Real Madrid; €998m vs €816m; €276m defense vs €242m attack
May 10 – UEFA has added a new club competition this season but it is still clubs from the Big 5 leagues that are dominating the final rounds. A report by Football Benchmark links that dominance directly to player and squad values.
FIFA tells Brazil and Argentina to replay abandoned 2022 World Cup qualifier
May 10 – Even though it is a meaningless fixture, the abandoned 2022 World Cup qualifier between Brazil and Argentina will have to be replayed after FIFA rejected appeals from both national federations.
FIFA awards Rohr bumper compensation after Nigerian sacking
May 10 – FIFA has ordered the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to pay former coach Gernot Rohr just under $380,000 in compensation after the governing body dismissed the German late last year.