May 17 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino opened the 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, with a call for unity. It was a rhetorical moment, as the Congress proved as it rattled through agenda point after agenda point with very little debate and a button pushing membership pressing yes to everything on the electronic voting system that was put before them.
By Samindra Kunti in Bangkok
May 17 – FIFA will commission a ‘legal assessment’ of the conflict in the Middle East by a panel of ‘independent’ experts after the Palestinian FA (PFA) demanded sanctions be taken against the Israeli FA (IFA) at FIFA’s 74th Annual Congress in Bangkok, Thailand.
May 17 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has dismissed the threat of legal challenge from Fifpro and the World Leagues Association (WLA) over the overloaded match calendar and the introduction of the expanded 32-team Club World Cup in 2025 as ‘futile’.
May 17 – Confederation of Brazilian Football (CBF) president Ednaldo Rodrigues has called the choice of Brazil as host for the 2027 Women’s World Cup a “victory for the women’s game’.
May 17 – FIFA unveiled a five ‘pillar’ initiative to combat racism in football at its Congress in Bangkok, Thailand. FIFA said the recommendations will be mandated across all 211 of its member federations.
May 17 – Australian professional football has been plunged into disrepute by accusations that the captain of A-League club Macarthur FC paid two younger teammates up to 10,000 Australian dollars to deliberately receive yellow cards in a scheme set up by a South American gambling connection.
May 17 – Leeds United became the first team to reach the 2024 Championship playoff final for the Premier League with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Norwich City last night.
May 17 – Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri has been suspended for two matches and fined €5,000 by a Serie A league judge for his behaviour during the Italian Cup final.
May 17 – The USL Super League have announced a new long-term, league wide uniform and apparel partnership with Capelli Sport, as the league expands its portfolio of brand partners as it establishes itself as tier one women’s professional league in the US.
May 17 – Bayern Munich’s apparent u-turn to try and keep manager Thomas Tuchel at the club has been rebuffed after the two parties failed to reach an agreement.
May 17 – Lenny Kravitz will headline the entertainment at the UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show on June 1 in London.
May 17 – Romania’s top tier clubs have invested €11.5 million in their youth academies over the last 2023/24 season, according to figures from by the Romanian Football Federation (FRF).
By Samindra Kunti in Bangkok
May 16 – On Friday, Palestine, the 2027 Women’s World Cup, a series of amendments to the FIFA Statutes and racism will take centre stage at the FIFA Congress in the Thai capital.
May 15 – Manchester City and their sister club Girona will not both be able to compete in next season’s Champions League unless the Abu Dhabi owners reduce their shareholding in one or other of the two, UEFA has ruled.
May 16 – On the sidelines of the FIFA Congress, Norwegian FA (NFF) president Lise Klaveness has criticised the bidding process of the 2034 World Cup, with Saudi Arabia the sole candidate to stage the tournament.