AFC Grassroots Football Day 2022 sees 41 MAs participate
May 16 – The AFC’s Grassroots Football Day 2022, held May 15, saw 41 Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) member associations participate in a range of activities across the region.
Al Ahly appeal CAF decision to host Champions League final at Wydad’s Casablanca stadium
May 15 – Egyptian club Al Ahly has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over CAF’s decisions to give the hosting of the final to Casablanca, Morocco.
Liverpool win FA Cup final on penalties to keep quadruple hopes alive
By Samindra Kunti at Wembley
May 15 – Liverpool’s quadruple dream remains alive after defeating Chelsea 6-5 in a penalty shootout in the 150th Anniversary FA Cup Final following a tense and draining 120 minutes.
UEFA defends ticketing for club finals as fans trampled in online scramble to secure seats
By Samindra Kunti and Paul Nicholson
May 12 – UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has defended the ticket policy for the final of the Champions League between Liverpool and Madrid in Paris this month as fans for all three club finals have scrambled to get tickets.
Eligibility questions over bid by Angola’s Almeida e Silva for Cosafa presidency
May 13 – Artur de Almeida e Silva looks set to succeed Zimbabwe’s Phillip Chiyangwa as the new president of Cosafa, the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations, but questions have been raised over whether the president of the Federação Angolana de Futebol (FAF) should have been allowed to stand for the presidency in the first place.
European Leagues welcome late UCL changes but warn money split post-2024 is key
May 13 – The European Leagues have welcomed the last-minute changes to UEFA’s re-configured Champions League structure that will come into force post 2024 and were approved by UEFA’s executive committee and congress this week.
Qatar hotels refuse bookings from LGBTQ+ guests for 2022 World Cup, reports
May 13 – A media investigation has revealed that a number of FIFA-recommended hotels in Qatar have refused to accept LGBTQ+ guests despite previous claims that those of all gender persuasions would be welcomed for the World Cup.
TikTok doubles up with women’s EURO 2022 after successful men’s EURO 2020
May 13 – TikTok has become an official partner of the Women’s EURO 2022 in a one-event deal, following on from its partnership with the men’s EURO 2020 championship last year.
Football Australia keeps up its pace of change with new club licensing rules
May 13 – Football Australia has announced the country’s first ever domestic club licensing regulations for its professional leagues.
Chelsea go cypto with WhaleFin sleeve deal
May 13 – Premier League Chelsea, still theoretically operating under a restrictive government license while the club sale to the Todd Boehly-led and Clearlake Capital-backed group is completed, has announced a £20 million shirt sleeve deal with cryptocurrency trading platform WhaleFin.
Swooshed: Nike pull out of 17-year Spartak Moscow kit deal
May 13 – US sportwear giant Nike is reported to have severed its 17-year sponsorship deal with Russian Premier League club Spartak Moscow after the team was ruled out of next season’s European competitions because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Ecuador’s 2022 spot on the line as FIFA open case into whether Castillo is in fact Colombian
May 12 – Ecuador’s place in this year’s World Cup finals appears to be in seriously jeopardy after FIFA opened a disciplinary case looking into whether the country fielded an ineligible player during qualifying.
UEFA reports €5.7bn revenue record, boosts HatTrick funding to €17m per MA for 2024-28 cycle
May 12 – UEFA’s revenue record breaking Euro 2020 championships, played last year, have provided confidence for a bumper 21% increase in budget for the confederation’s HatTrick programme for the 2024-2028 cycle.
Ajax make it hattrick of consecutive Dutch titles and 36th overall
May 12 – Ajax have been crowned Dutch champions for a record 36th time following a resounding 5-0 victory against Herenveen, securing a direct ticket to the Champions League group stages.
World Cup Trophy begins 51-stop Coke-fuelled journey
May 12 – The World Cup has begun its now traditional journey quadrennial journey towards the World Cup host nation, in this case Qatar and arriving in time for the October-November event. The tour has become the FIFA equivalent of the Olympic flame.