By Andrew Warshaw
April 20 – When he arrived a generation ago, the cry went up “Arsene Who?” Three league titles, seven FA Cup trophies – including two league and cup “doubles” – and 22 years later, Arsene Wenger, the longest-serving manager in the Premier league, is finally calling it a day at the end of the season.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 19 – Amid widespread concern about supporters being left in the dark, FIFA have confirmed that giant screens will be used at World Cup matches for replays of incidents decided by the video assistant referee – accompanied by written explanations.
April 19 – After years of debate and discussion, the Premier League finally looks set to follow much of continental Europe and introduce a winter break from the season after next.
April 18 – UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has re-iterated his concern over video assistant referees being deployed at the World Cup.
April 17 – Gianluigi Buffon was playing in Juventus’ first team when English ref Michael Oliver, at the centre of Buffon and Juventus complaints over the award of a penalty that ended their Champions League campaign, was just 16 years old. Wisdom of age berating the stupidity of youth?
April 17 – UEFA has condemned the online abuse aimed at referee Michael Oliver and his wife after the English referee awarded a highly contentious stoppage-time penalty to Real Madrid that knocked Juventus out of the Champions League last week.
April 17 – Those opposed to the formal introduction of video assistant referees have strengthened their case after arguably the most bizarre incident since testing began.
April 16 – It was only a matter of time but few, even among their own players and fans, expected Manchester City to be crowned English Premier League champions without even playing on Sunday.
April 16 – Italian goalkeeping legend Gianluigi Buffon remains unrepentant following his tirade about English referee Michael Oliver whose decision to award Real Madrid a stoppage-time penalty last week wrecked Juventus’ dreams of Champions League success.
April 16 – Arsene Wenger, the longest-serving manager in the English Premier League, says the decision not to implement video assistant referees next season is a serious retrograde step that flies in the face of progress.
April 13 – Despite football’s lawmakers giving it the thumbs up and the system being used at the World Cup, English Premier League clubs have voted not to use video assistant referees next season.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 12 – What must UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, opposed to introducing video assistant referees in his showpiece club competition, be thinking now?
April 11 – Player stability breeds more club success would be conclusion drawn from the latest CIES Football Observatory stats that rank clubs in Europe’s Big 5 leagues by the the longest average contract duration of first team squad members.
April 11 – They say goals change games. So do referees’ decisions. The introduction of video assistant referees from the World Cup onwards may have split opinion but if ever there was a case for the system to be used, it was surely in Tuesday night’s Champions league quarter-finals.
April 11 – FIFA’s 2026 evaluation committee had only just left Mexico City and its Azteca stadium when the iconic venue returned to the real business of play in the Conacaf Champions League. Toronto FC endured a far tougher examination in the Azteca than the FIFA bid bods were likely to have given it.