Botswana and Namibia plan joint bid for AFCON 2027
May 10 – Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe is reported to be in favour of a joint bid from Botswana and Namibia to co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
Bad taste: Scots apologise after walkouts over offensive speech at football writers dinner
May 10 – Scottish football journalists have had to apologise after an awards event speech prompted a walkout because of alleged sexism.
Serie A links with WSC to deliver real-time clips to its social and digital platforms
May 9 – Serie A has further embraced new sports video technology via a three-year deal with WSC Sports that will create real-time highlights.
AFC launches two assistance funds as Salman declares they AFC will back Infantino
May 9 – Meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, the first-time ever the AFC Executive Committee has met in a Central Asian nation, AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, unveiled two new development programmes, praised his member nations for their post-covid return to football, and offered support to FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s bid for a further four year term in office.
UEFA head for Vienna to set seal on Champions League revamp
May 9 – This week could promise to become a landmark moment for European football with UEFA’s executive committee set to ratify changes to the Champions League format.
Women’s U20 World Cup Costa Rica: holders Japan face US and Dutch group draw
May 9 – Reigning world champions Japan will face the Netherlands, Ghana and USA at the U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica later this year.
Boehly group completes £2.5bn Chelsea deal; Ratcliffe told to get on his bike
May 8 – Chelsea have confirmed that terms for the club’s sale have been agreed with the consortium led by LA Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly, financed by Clearlake Capital, and with US investor Mark Walter and Swiss businessman Hansjoerg Wyss along for the ride.
Schalke 04 return to Bundesliga top tier at first attempt
May 9 – A year after relegation, Schalke 04 is back in the Bundesliga following a win against St Pauli on Saturday.
BKT re-treads global LaLiga deal for new 3-year term
May 9 – Indian tire manufacturer BKT has renewed its global sponsorship with LaLiga for a new three-year term which will run until the end of the 2024/2025 season.
Chelsea women beat Man Utd to secure third successive WSL title
May 9 – The day after it was confirmed that their club had been bought by new investors who would maintain their commitment to the women’s team, Chelsea won their third consecutive Super League title with the last game of the season.
NWSL’s Challenge Cup sponsorship with UKG will focus on closing the gender pay gap
May 9 – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in the US has sold the title sponsorship of its NWSL Challenge Cup in a three-year deal to HR management specialists UKG.
Liga MX looks to build outside its North American base with Bundesliga MoU
May 9 – Germany’s DFL (operator of the Bundesliga) and Mexico’s Liga MX have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will cover sharing expertise across performance, business and marketing areas.
Counting the cost of covid: Ligue 1 records massive €645m deficit
May 6 – France’s Ligue 1 has reported a mammoth deficit of €645 million for the 2020-2021 financial year because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the collapse of the transfer market.
No money for Warner, but Fenwick and Miller get one final feed at the TTFA trough
By Paul Nicholson
May 6 – Former FIFA vice president and Concacaf president Jack Warner will not be getting a final pay day from football as he battles extradition to the US where he has been indicted on multiple charges of fraud, money laundering, racketeering and corruption.
AFC Champions League reaches Round of 16 with new faces upsetting the old order
May 6 – While UEFA and Concacaf are concluding their Champions League seasons, in Asia the AFC’s Champions League is now only reaching the knock out rounds.