Fox Sports picks up 1,500 hours of Conmebol rights for US
May 6 – US broadcaster Fox Sports has added English language rights for Conmebol’s competitions in a six-year deal.
World Football
Belgian Broos to take on South African rebuild, starting with Qatar 2022 qualifiers
May 6 – Bafana Bafana have a new manager with Belgian coach Hugo Broos, an AFCON winner, taking on the role to steer South Africa to a brighter future after the country’s recent elimination from next year’s continental finals.
Hertha sack Lehmann after nasty fumble on WhatsApp
May 6 – Former Arsenal and German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has been sacked from his role on the board of Hertha Berlin after sending a WhatsApp message to Sky pundit and ex-international Dennis Aogo calling him a “token black guy”.
Motsepe’s CAF bans 20 countries from using stadia ahead of Qatar 2022 qualifiers
May 5 – In a shock ruling under its new president Patrice Motsepe (pictured), the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has banned 20 of its 54 member countries from using their stadiums to host international matches because they don’t meet “minimum requirements”.
Motsepe goes back to school with $10m foundation grant for CAF youth comp
May 5 – On a visit to Ivory Coast, Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe announced that the Motsepe Foundation will donate $10 million for the establishment of a pan-African schools championship organised under the umbrella of both CAF and FIFA.
Kenya’s Zoo FC to appeal expulsion from Premier League for match-fixing
May 5 – In another blow to Kenyan football, Premier League club Zoo FC have been sanctioned for suspected match fixing, and relegated the club from the domestic Premier League.
Bulgarian police to work with Sportradar in war on match-fixing
May 5 – Sports betting integrity specialist Sportradar, which services a bulk of national federations and confederations with its bet monitoring systems, has taken the battle against match-fixing a step further with an MoU with the General Directorate National Police of Bulgaria.
Man Utd will have 2,000 tickets for Europa League final, if they complete their Italian job
May 4 – UEFA have launched a limited tickets sales process for the Europa League final in Poland’s Gdansk where up to 9,500 fans will be allowed to attend the showpiece match, following confirmation by local authorities.
Inter break Juventus grip of Serie A, Ajax dynasty rolls on
May 4 – Inter Milan ended Juventus’ domination of Italian football by winning the Serie A and Ajax claimed a 35th Dutch title at the weekend.
English FA hard hit by covid but still in profit
By David Owen
May 4 – The Football Association managed to report a small profit and to invest nearly £150 million in the sport in 2019-20, in spite of being hard hit by the early months of the covid pandemic.
German FA boss Keller under pressure as regions call on him to step down
May 4 – Pressure is mounting daily on German FA boss Fritz Keller to resign for comparing his DFB deputy with infamous Nazi judge Roland Freisler, plunging the hierarchy of German football’s administration into fresh chaos reminiscent of past scandals.
German star Metzelder given suspended jail sentence for child porn offences
April 30 – Former Germany and Dortmund star Christoph Metzelder (pictured) has been sentenced to a suspended 10-month prison term after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography.
UEFA draws groups for 2023 Women’s World Cup qualifiers
April 30 – A record number of 51 nations were in the the European qualifying draw for the 2023 Women’s World Cup held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon today.
Players’ union boss says Champions League reform creates too many extra games
April 29 – Having managed to fight off threats of a European Super League, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin now faces having to convince the rest of football’s stakeholders that his Champions League reforms are the best way forward.