ECA clubs support International Missing Children’s Day with social channels
May 6 – The European Clubs Association (ECA) is supporting a new initiative to coincide with International Missing Children’s Day.
World Football
EFL’s Parry says clubs face £200m shortfall as talk turns to salary caps and rescue packages
By Paul Nicholson
May 5 – English Football League chairman Rick Parry painted the picture of a £200 million financial hole for the league and its 72 clubs by September, on top of an already existing wage issue that sees Championship club owners putting in on average £16 million of their own money to reach the Premier League.
Partick Thistle fans save club £75,000 by spurning refunds for truncated season
By David Owen
May 5 – These are massively challenging times for clubs not at the apogee of the football pyramid, so it is heartening to be able to report on the helping hand that has been extended to Partick Thistle, one of the best-loved clubs in Scotland, by diehard fans.
Angry Amiens call for LFP to rethink relegation and expand top tier to 22 teams
May 5 – In the latest example of the furious reaction and potentially legally complex situation that can occur when leagues are wound up prematurely because of Covid-19, Amiens SC have launched an online petition calling on France’s Professional Football League (LFP) to review its decision to relegate the club.
LaLiga begins first of 4-phased return to work
May 5 – La Liga has confirmed that Spain’s footballers will go back to training this week with a view to resuming fixtures in June.
Israelis and Hungarians plan end May returns for top tier leagues
May 5 – Israeli football will return at the start of June, the country’s sports minister Miri Regev announced on Monday. In Hungary, the domestic cup semi-finals will mark a return of the game on May 23.
Corinthians losses hit record €29m as wages cut and stadium costs weigh heavy
May 5 – Brazilian giants Corinthians registered a record loss of €29.4 million last season, aggravating the financial crisis at the club.
Coronavirus: Spurs and Wembley lose NFL hosting as league moves matches back to US
May 5 – Tottenham Hotspur and Wembley have both lost two NFL matches they were set to host in London this autumn with the US major league announcing it has cancelled the four regular season games and switching them back to the US.
US women’s league says clubs can open facilities for individual training
May 5 – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in the US has said that all clubs can use of outdoor team training pitches from tomorrow (May 6) as long as the follow the league’s medical task force ‘Return to Play Phased Protocol’.
US women to appeal after Californian judge dismisses equal pay case
May 4 – The US women’s national squad have vowed to continue their fight after their globally publicised claims for equal pay were dismissed by a landmark court ruling, handing a significant victory to the United States Soccer Federation.
Cologne players test positive but Bundesliga stays on track with re-start plan
May 4 – The German Bundesliga’s move to get its season back on track took a knock after three FC Koln players tested positive for the coronavirus, but Germany’s minister for the interior Horst Seehofer has backed the league’s return this month.
Belgium Pro-league remain in limbo over lockdown and TV rights liabilities
May 4 – Yet again, Belgium’s Pro League has delayed the decision to rubber-stamp Club Brugge’s coronation as champions because of the evolving lockdown measures in the country and concerns over the TV rights contract. The league’s general assembly will now meet on May 15.
Bolsanaro wants Brazilian teams back on the pitch now. CBF and clubs draw up plans
May 1 – Brazil may be in meltdown following the haphazard policies and incendiary rants of its president Jair Bolsonaro in response to the coronavirus pandemic, but the CBF and the country’s clubs are seeking a structured way out of the health crisis by drawing up plans for a resumption of training.
Haitian FA boss Jean-Bart accused of sexual abuse
May 1 – The man who has run football in Haiti for the best part of two decades has been accused of sexual abuse in a damning report in Britain’s Guardian newspaper.
Belgian FA expands top tier women’s league to 10 clubs
May 1 – The Coronavirus has thrown the immediate future of the global game into disarray, but it hasn’t stopped the Belgian FA (KBVB) from expanding the domestic women’s league to ten clubs, a move designed to develop the women’s game after years of chronic neglect.