Washington, DC and Baltimore merge bids for 2026 World Cup hosting
April 22 – World Cup host city contenders Washington, DC and Baltimore have merged their bids to create a joint application to stage 2026 World Cup matches.
NAC Breda shareholder shuns CFG sale for local Dutch ownership group
April 22 – Dutch club NAC Breda will not become a part of the portfolio of City Football Group (CFG) clubs after a backlash from fans saw the ‘golden share’ vote of the NOAD Foundation veto the sale.
Aussies open up transfer market to stimulate player development and expanded league system
April 22 – Football Australia has removed the cap on transfer fees for contracted players in a move designed modernize the transfer system and encourage the development of players.
Lewis Hamilton and Serena Williams add star power to Broughton bid for Chelsea
April 22 – Formula One star Lewis Hamilton and 23-time Grand Slam tennis champion Serena Williams have joined a consortium to buy Premier League club Chelsea, according to reports.
VAR to make semi-final debut in Conference League
April 22 – UEFA will introduce the video assistant referees (VAR) for the last four of the Conference League, the European governing body has announced.
Salman says he has no link to AC Milan acquisition, or any other club
April 22 – The head of Asian football has denied reports in Italy that he is involved in talks to buy AC Milan.
Malta to host next Integrisport Next Erasmus Plus match-fixing awareness session
April 22 – The CSCF Sport Integrity Group, which has a focus on battling and information sharing on match-fixing issues, has scheduled its next Awareness Raising Session for Malta at the end of April.
England Euro 2022 organisers unveil 10-stop pre-tournament football festival
April 21 – Organisers of the Women’s EURO 2022 have unveiled plans for the national football roadshow that will tour the nine host venues in May and June before the tournament kicks off in Manchester on July 6.
Spanish tapes: Angry Rubiales says Pique commission was paid by Saudis, not by RFEF
April 21 – The storm around leaked phone tapes of Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales is still raging. Rubiales has hit back at what he calls “mischievous and dishonest” accusations from Spanish media of alleged wrongdoing over the deal to relocate the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia.
Madrid court removes protection of Super League rebel clubs Barca, Real Madrid and Juve
April 21 – Madrid’s commercial court, with a new sitting judge, has lifted the interim injunctions imposed on UEFA at the request of the Super League.
UEFA gives support to FSE’s ‘Win it on the Pitch’ campaign to change EU law
April 21 – UEFA has given its support to the Football Supporters Europe (FSE) ‘Win It On The Pitch’ campaign that is seeking a million signatures to trigger the EU to consider plans for a law against so-called super leagues.
Ajax boss Erik Ten Hag confirmed as next in line to attempt Man Utd clean-up
April 21 – It was an open secret and now it’s confirmed. Manchester United, who have the most expensive squad in the Premier League but haven’t won a trophy for five years, have the man they hope will finally bring back the glory days.
Spanish tapes: Pique called on Rubiales to secure him a place on Tokyo Olympic team
April 21 – Barcelona lynchpin and former Spanish international defender Gerard Piqué asked for help from the president of the Spanish FA to play at the Tokyo Olympics despite retiring from international football, leaked audio recordings allege.
Club Brugge place 24,000 QR codes in stadium to combat racism
April 21 – Belgian champions Club Brugge will introduce QR codes to combat racism at home matches. Fans will have the opportunity to report racist incidents via their smartphones.
Cook to leave FIFA but will keep focus on abuse in sport with new agency advisory role
April 21 – FIFA’s Chief Social Responsibility and Education Officer, Joyce Cook, is leaving the role and returning to the UK to concentrate on tackling abuse in sport.