Man left critically ill after clash between Liverpool and Roma fans
April 25 – Violence before the Liverpool-Roma Champions League semi-final clash at Anfield has left a 53-year-old male Liverpool fan in critical condition in hospital.
Infantino calls Confederation bosses to Zurich for emergency session
By Paul Nicholson
April 25 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has summoned the FIFA Bureau to Zurich at short notice to discuss issues arising from the Bogota, Colombia, FIFA Council meeting where he infamously tabled the $25 billion offer for the Club World Cup and Nations League competitions.
CAF chief tells Europe to back Morocco for 2026 and Africa will return the votes for 2030
By Andrew Warshaw
April 24 – With precision timing given the growing geo-political tension between FIFA and UEFA, the head of African football has urged Europe to back Morocco’s bid to stage the 2026 World Cup.
FIFA’s global calendar shake-up: Who gets what for $25bn?
By Paul Nicholson
April 24 – Detail is starting to emerge on FIFA’s proposed $25 billion revamp of its global competitions structure. With FIFA Bureau members heading for Zurich for emergency meetings and FIFA saying it will call an unscheduled FIFA Council meeting before its Congress in June, FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s cards, or at least some of them, are slowly being laid out on the table.
Germany submits EURO 2024 bid book promising to ‘build bridges’ between people
By Andrew Warshaw
April 24 – With so much focus concentrated on the narrative over the 2026 World Cup vote, it may have been forgotten that there is another battle going on to stage the European Championship finals two years earlier.
Qatar Airways lands on Roma shirt in time for Liverpool clash
April 24 – High flying Roma, who tonight play Liverpool in the first round of the Champions League semi-final, have announced Qatar Airways will become the club’s new shirt sponsor in a three-year deal.
Juve and Napoli players wear red stripes in stand against domestic violence
April 24 – When Juventus and Napoli met in an all-important fixture at the top of Serie A last weekend, television viewers worldwide may have wondered why both sets of players had red stripes on their faces.
Man City look to the future with kids app aimed at engaging 6-12 year-olds
April 24 – Manchester City is launching a free children’s app – Man City Kids – aimed at 6-12 year olds.
Maxwell’s house: Scottish FA appoint Patrick Thistle boss to lead national game
April 24 – Ian Maxwell has been appointed the Scottish FA’s new chief executive and has promised “to shape a better future”.
Renewed allegations surface of FIFA plot to exclude Morocco from 2026 vote in June
By Andrew Warshaw
April 23 – Just days after FIFA’s 2026 World Cup evaluation panel completed its inspection visits to the two candidates, fresh claims have emerged of unfair treatment towards Morocco that threaten to undermine the all-important vote in June.
German FA opens membership doors to esports teams
By Samindra Kunti
April 23 – The German Football Association, DFB, has opened up its membership to e-sports team, limiting new entrants to those with a focus on football.
Nicaraguan violence forces CONCACAF to end Women’s U17 Championship
April 23 – CONCACAF has canceled the rest of its 2018 Women’s Under-17 Championship following violence in Managua, Nicaragua, where the tournament began Thursday.
La Liga posts record €3.6 billion revenue figure and promises more to come
April 23 – LaLiga has released record revenue figures for 2016-17 showing the Spanish league generating €3.662 billion, a 15.6% increase of €495 million on the previous season. LaLiga is moving aggressively in international markets and domestically to build the value of its commercial rights, vocally targeting the Premier League and its dominant international position, particularly as regards broadcast revenue.
Drama and tension as Japan beat Australian to retain AFC Women’s Asian Cup
April 21 – Japan held on to their Asian champions title beating Australia 1-0 in the final of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2018 final in Amman, Jordan, last Friday.
Liverpool’s Salah strikes again with Player of the Year award
April 21 – Liverpool’s Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah has been named England’s Player of the Year by the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) – the first player from his country to receive the annual award.