Sport Recife beats Flamengo to 1987 title after 30-year dispute
April 20 – Talk about extra time! After a bitter 30-year dispute, Brazil’s Supreme Court has finally decided the winner of the 1987 league title: Sport Recife.
World Football
Bility under fire again in Liberia as women walk out over broken cash promises
By Paul Nicholson
April 19 – Controversial Liberian FA president Musa Bility, who failed eligibility tests to stand for the FIFA presidency but who nevertheless engineered a position for himself on CAF’s executive committee, is under renewed pressure in Liberia with the women’s football league clubs pulling out en masse from the current season after multiple promises of financial support for the clubs never materialised.
What crisis? CBF reports record $208m revenues as sponsorship holds strong
By Samindra Kunti
April 19 – The Brazilian FA (CBF) has reported record revenue of $208.1 million for 2016, closing the book year with a surplus of $14.16 million, a drop from the $23.16 million in 2015.
Gibraltar FA to buy ‘home’ stadium on the Rock for £16.6m
April 19 – One of UEFA’s newest members, the Gibraltar FA, is to buy a stadium within its borders which will enable it to develop a venue where it will be able to host national team fixtures and European club matches.
Police arrest suspects for shooting of Panama’s Henriquez
April 19 – Panamanian authorities say they’ve arrested seven people in connection with the killing of the country’s international midfielder Amilcar Henriquez.
Panama international Henriquez shot dead in Colón
April 18 – Panama international Amilcar Henriquez has been shot and killed outside his home in the country’s Colón province, authorities there have confirmed.
Argentina’s new top brass head for Zurich in bid to get Messi ban halved
April 18 – Lionel Messi could have his four-match international suspension halved at an appeal hearing next month, according to Argentina reports.
Bastia fans twice invade pitch forcing Lyons match to be abandoned
April 17 – A French Ligue 1 match between Bastia and Lyon was abandoned at the weekend after the Corsican home fans twice invaded the pitch to try and attack opposition players.
Six World Cup stadia become part of corruption probe into Brazilian construction scandal
By Samindra Kunti
April 14 – Six out of Brazil’s 12 World Cup stadiums were constructed amid financial irregularities, according to documents from construction giant Odebrecht as Brazil’s large corruption scandal Lava Jato (operation car wash) deepens further.
Violent clashes delay start of Lyon vs Besiktas Europa League quarter-final
April 14 – Clashes between French and Turkish fans delayed a Europa League quarter-final kick off by 45 minutes on Thursday before Lyon came from behind to beat Besiktas 2-1, throwing into question next week’s return leg in Istanbul.
Chiyangwa calls for AFCON rights to be stripped from Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Guinea
By Andrew Warshaw
April 13 – Ambitious Zimbabwean FA leader Philip Chiyangwa, who heads the 14-strong Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA), has written to the new head of African football to officially protest over the manner in which hosting rights for the African Cup of Nations were handled by the previous regime.
Mexican opinion rebels against 2026 bid pact as ‘crumbs’ and a lack of ‘respect’
April 13 – Mexican players and commentators have reacted with irritation verging on anger at the decision to hand the country only 10 of the 80 matches at the 2026 World Cup if the tournament, as expected, goes to CONCACAF.
Dortmund complain UEFA gave players no choice over rescheduled Monaco game
By Andrew Warshaw
April 13 – Handed a rare home defeat in their re-arranged Champions League quarterfinal first leg, Borussia Dortmund have thrown the book at UEFA claiming European football’s governing body “totally ignored” the players’ state of mind following the previous day’s explosions near the team bus that led to the fixture being postponed for a mere 24 hours.
EFL clubs confirm introduction of goalline technology for next season
April 13 – Goalline technology will be used in this season’s English Championship play-offs before being introduced in all second-tier matches in 2017-18.
Drogba joins Bravo at USL’s Phoenix Rising with sights set on MLS
April 13 – Former Ivory Coast, Chelsea and most recently Montreal Impact forward Didier Drogba has become the biggest name to join US challenger league the USL, the second tier of professional football in the US.