Out: long walk to pick up the trophy. In: pitch party celebrations
May 18 – Winning team captains will no longer lead their players up to the VIP area of stadiums to receive European club trophies.
Qatar’s revamped Khalifa stadium to debut with Emir Cup final, 5 years before 2022 kick off
By Paul Nicholson
May 18 – Qatar will re-open the Khalifa International Stadium this weekend, the first tournament-ready venue for the first winter World Cup that kicks off 21 November 2022. Khalifa International will host group matches and knock out rounds up to the quarter finals in 2022, but before then it will host the 2017 Emir Cup final, 2017 Gulf Cup and 2019 IAAF World Championships.
ICSS launches investigation unit with focus on high level corruption
May 18 – The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) has set up a special investigations unit that can be hired to look into sports corruption.
Everton stream Snapchat content live to Goodison Park big screens
May 18 – Everton broke new ground for thie final Premier League home game of the season last Friday by streaming Snapchat social media content live to the big screens in Goodison Park using Tagboard technology, a first in the Premier League.
Growing baby brand Joie signs Liverpool deal to help it through puberty
May 18 – Liverpool have signed a three-year partnership deal that with babywear manufacturer Joie to become the club’s first Official Family Partner and Global Baby Gear Partner. No figure was announced for the deal.
Political tensions force AFC to push North Korea vs Malaysia match to October
May 17 – The Asian Football Confederation, which for several weeks has been searching for a suitable venue for the postponed North Korea-Malaysia 2019 Asian Cup qualifier that was delayed from the original March 28 date and rescheduled for June 8, has decided on a further postponement until October “because of the geo-political tension on the Korean Peninsula”.
Terrorist motive ruled out of Dortmund bus bomb attack
May 17 – Federal investigators in Germany say they have not found any indications that there was a “terrorist background” to the attack on the Borussia Dortmund team bus on April 11.
Spanish courts chase Falcao and Coentrao for unpaid tax on image rights deals
May 17 – In the latest tax evasion case to hit Spanish football, the prosecutor in Madrid says it has filed a lawsuit against Radamel Falcao (pictured) and Fabio Coentrao, accusing them of hiding almost €7 million from the tax office between 2012 and 2014.
Chinese siblings take control at Reading and get a second shot at Premier League
May 17 – Chinese brother and sister Dai Yongge and Dai Xiu Li (pictured) who failed to complete on the acquisition of Hull City last year after the Premier League ruled against their deal, may become Premier League club owners after all having become the majority shareholders in Reading.
Zenit move league game after pitch at St Petersburg’s new stadium cuts up
By Samindra Kunti
May 17 – Zenit St. Petersburg have been forced to play tonight’s (Wednesday) league match with FC Krasnodar at another ground after the pitch at the Krestovsky stadium was deemed to be too poor for the fixture.
AFC integrity chief lines up probe into Lai case
May 17 – Asian football’s new independent anti-corruption watchdog is calling on the confederation to launch its own separate probe into the circumstances surrounding the prosecution of former marketing chief Richard Lai.
Everton confirm record SportPesa deal, as online gambler bases Euro HQ in Liverpool
May 17 – Everton have confirmed SportPesa as the club’s new shirt sponsor in a five-year deal that chief executive Robert Elstone said is the biggest deal in the club’s history.
Liverpool provide best value in Premier League, Man Utd worst
May 16 – Liverpool are the best value team for entertainment this season across all four English professionals divisions, according to an analysis by MyVoucherCodes.co.uk. In contrast Manchester United offer the worst value for entertainment at Old Trafford.
TSN secures Canadian TV rights for Gold Cup and Champions League
May 17 – CONCACAF has secured another cornerstone broadcast partner for its blue riband Gold Cup and Champions League competitions. Canadian sports network TSN has signed a multi-year rights deal for Canada that begins with the upcoming Gold Cup this July.
Man Utd set up for big finish on and off the pitch as revenue forecast to hit £560m
By Paul Nicholson
May 16 – Manchester United, setting themselves up for a Europa Cup final season finale, are also predicting a big year-end finish for their financials, forecasting a better than expected financial performance.