By Andrew Warshaw
September 9 – Michel Platini has been invited to say farewell to colleagues at next week’s UEFA presidential election, potentially violating his four-year ban imposed by FIFA.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 9 – European powerhouses Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have lost their respective appeals against a transfer ban imposed by FIFA for breaching regulations on the acquisition of non-Spanish minors under the age of 18 and are taking the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 8 – In a move that could have wide-ranging repercussions and cause a potentially hugely damaging split, the umbrella organisation that represents the Continent’s top leagues has angrily rejected UEFA’s reforms of the Champions League and Europa League.
September 8 – The English Football Association fears that Britain’s exit from the European Union may hinder efforts to stage major tournaments in future and wants to find out whether Brexit had damaged relations within FIFA and UEFA.
By Paul Nicholson
September 8 – The Washington Spirit took the unusual step of playing the US national anthem before the players had entered the playing arena last night at the National Women’s Soccer League play-off match against the Seattle Reign.
September 7 – Guatemala’s Carlos Ruiz has become the highest scorer in World Cup qualifying history after bagging five goals in his final international appearance against St Vincent and the Grenadines.
September 8 – US women’s national team head coach Jill Ellis has spoken for the first time about the full reasons behind the decision to ban Hope Solo, the best-known goalkeeper in women’s football, for six months and terminate her contract.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 7 – With the UEFA presidential election a week away amid signs that the two remaining candidates are feeling the heat, Michael van Praag has received a boost after the English Football Association, now under new leadership, has decided to throw its heavyweight support behind the Dutch football chief.
By Matt Scott
August 7 – Only a week before UEFA’s most senior officials decamp to Athens for their presidential elections, the owner of Greece’s most successful club reportedly faces a battle to avoid custody over match fixing allegations.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 7 – And then there were two. Angel Maria Villar, whose UEFA presidential candidacy always seemed destined to fail, has pulled out of the election next week to save face, leaving Michael van Praag and Alexander Ceferin to battle it out to fill the vacancy left by Michel Platini.
By Paul Nicholson
August 7- Yesterday the European Club Association (ECA) triumphantly claimed the new UEFA Champions League qualification format a big success for the future of (big) club football in Europe, today the first voices of dissent declare the decision to automatically qualify the top four clubs from the top four European leagues a “detrimental” decision for European football.
September 5 – With focus generally on Europe’s Big 5 leagues in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, Football Benchmark have turned their analytical attention to life outside of these leagues and the gap between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’.
September 7 – British-based anti-racism body Kick it Out has warned of the increase of hate incidents surrounding football, saying it received 402 reports of discrimination last season, up from 393 in 2014-15. Of those, 135 were in the professional game.
By Paul Nicholson
September 6 – Aleksander Čeferin has dismissed as “insulting” reports that he has made a series of promises to the Nordic federations in support for their votes in the election for the successor to Michel Platini to the UEFA presidency on September 14 in Athens, Greece.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 6 – Europe’s leading clubs say the new Champions League format being introduced by UEFA in two years’ time has ended the threat of a breakaway league but reject the suggestion that the essential romance and nostalgia of football will evaporate in the process.