England and Villa star Ehiogu dies of heart attack, aged 44
April 21 – Former England and Aston Villa defender Ugo Ehiogu, who has been working as Tottenham Hotspur’s under-23 coach, has died in hospital aged 44 following a cardiac arrest.
FIFA dismisses Blumenthal’s 2018 demand saying it can’t solve ‘political problems’
April 21 – As expected, FIFA has dismissed a call by a US senator to strip Russia of hosting the World Cup because of its alleged complicity with the recent chemical weapons attack in Syria.
PL clubs made aggregate £110m loss in 2015-16, but TV deal will change picture
April 20 – The new Premier League TV deal came in the nick of time for the English top division’s 20 clubs, which have run up an aggregate loss in 2015-16 after two seasons of impressive profits.
Al-Mohannadi explores options to re-enter election race for FIFA Council
By Andrew Warshaw
April 20 – Saoud Al-Mohannadi, the Qatari official who won a landmark appeal after being disqualified from standing as an Asian member of FIFA’s ruling Council, has hit back at the original judgement and says he is considering putting his name forward again.
FIFA scramble for Confederation Cup sales as final ticket window opens
By Samindra Kunti
April 20 – The final phase of ticket sales for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup began on Wednesday and will run until July 2. Ticketing for FIFA’s warm up event for the 2018 World Cup in Russia has so far been slow.
AFC step up hunt for neutral venue for North Korea vs Malaysia 2019 qualifier
April 20 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has stepped in to mediate in the search for a venue for the postponed North Korea vs Malaysia 2019 Asian Cup qualifier that was postponed from the original March 28 date and rescheduled for June 8.
Blumenthal toxic on Russia hosting of 2018, says US could help out
April 20 – A US Democrat Senator has urged FIFA to consider stripping Russia as hosts of next year’s World Cup over its alleged complicity in the recent chemical weapons attack in Syria.
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.
Perception and reality. Mutko blames FIFA for its sponsorship failings
By Andrew Warshaw
April 20 – Having suffered the humiliation of being thrown off FFA’s decision-making Council for failing an eligibility test, Russian football supremo Vitaly Mukto seems to be using every possibility to subtlety strike back at football’s world governing body.
Liverpool break new ground with Avon sponsorship of women’s team
April 20 – Liverpool Ladies Football Club have signed Avon as the women’s team shirt sponsor, the first time the shirt sponsorship has been sold separately to the men’s shirt sponsorship which is currently held by Standard Chartered.
Dortmund blame bus delay for a torrid night in Monaco
April 20 – Spare a thought for Borussia Dortmund’s players, staff and supporters after their Champions League elimination in the most unfortunate of circumstances.
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.
Oceania back ‘pre-award’ of 2026 World Cup to US, Canada and Mexico
April 19 – Oceania have come out in favour of allowing the tripartite US, Canada and Mexico bid for co-hosting the 2026 World Cup to be speeded up.
Southampton’s £210m+ sale to Chinese investors is ‘on’, but to which group?
By Paul Nicholson
April 19 – The news that Lander Sports had pulled out of the £210 million+ acquisition of Premier League Southampton was premature. Even if Lander fail to raise the cash to complete the sale, a second, as yet unnamed, bidder from China is waiting in the wings and has the money ready to proceed.
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.