Ceferin suggests French league finish was premature
June 18 – UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has commented for the first time publicly on the decision to shut down French football while every other major league is restarting.
World Football
German authorities refuse DFB request to bump up stadium limit to 1,000 for Cup final
June 18 – Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich will play the German cup final behind closed doors after local authorities rejected a request from the German FA (DFB) for fans to attend the match.
UEFA confirm Lisbon Champions League finale with option of fans attending still open
By Andrew Warshaw
June 17 – This season’s Champions League, suspended in March at the last-16 stage because of the Covid-19 pandemic, will be completed with a mouth-watering eight-team knockout tournament held in Lisbon over 12 days in August, UEFA confirmed today following a meeting of its executive committee.
With Brazil in full corona-crisis, Flamengo head to Maracana to restart Carioca
June 17 – Brazilian champions Flamengo are pressing on with ‘Project Restart’ in Rio de Janeiro, but local rivals Botafogo and Fluminense have said they will go to court to prevent the season from resuming.
Lewandowski equals scoring record as Bayern wrap up 8th consecutive league title
June 17 – Bayern Munich wrapped up their eighth consecutive Bundesliga title on Tuesday night – in near silence.
Hunger games: Boris backs down as Rashford stands up for 1.3 million children
June 17 – Already facing widespread condemnation over playing catch-up with regard to Covid-19, the British government has now been forced to bow to pressure from a 22-year-old footballer and scrap its controversial policy of stopping free meals for needy school children.
Hearts refuse to be broken over failure of reconstruction talks and issue legal challenge
By Andrew Warshaw
June 16 – Scottish professional football has been plunged into yet more disarray after Heart of Midlothian, arguably the country’s biggest club after Celtic and Rangers, announced it was taking legal action following relegation from the top flight because of the curtailed season.
Cameroon’s AFCON 2020 in Jan looks in doubt as shift to 2021 mooted
June 16 – More doubt is being cast on next year’s African Nations Cup in Cameroon because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
UEFA put finishing touches to Lisbon mini-tournament to complete Champions League
June 16 – Reports that UEFA will complete the Champions League with a mini-tournament covering 11 days in a single city have been given further credence on the eve of a vital summit of its top brass.
Debt fears and cash crunch force FC Kaiserslautern to file for bankruptcy
June 16 – Fabled German club FC Kaiserslautern has filed for bankruptcy after a mounting debt and cash-flow crisis. The club have been crowned German champions four times.
Danes plan to open stadium to fans for Copenhagen derby
June 16 – With the derby in the capital between Bröndby and FC Copenhagen taking place this weekend, Danish football fans will be allowed to return in greater numbers to stadiums.
Mediacom picks up a slice of the future with Brazil and Real Madrid starlet Vinicius Jr
June 16 – Move over Neymar Jr, Brazil’s hottest young talent Vinicius Jr has signed a big deal with a giant agency.
Tanzania is first African nation to restart top league, with fans
June 15 – Tanzania has become the first African country to resume the league season after an enforced coronavirus shutdown since March. Local authorities have imposed strict protocols to stage matches and allow fans in attendance.
Trump turns off football after USSF and NFL rule players can take a knee
June 15 – US president Donald Trump has vowed to give up watching football after the US Soccer Federation adopted a new policy that rescinds a requirement for players to stand during the national anthem.
Wenger warns Brexit could kill ‘superiority’ of Premier League
June 15 – FIFA’s new chief of global football development has warned that Brexit could have a significant negative impact on the future financial and sporting clout of the Premier League.