Barca greenlighted for €1.5bn Nou Camp renovation
April 29 – FC Barcelona have been given the green light by local authorities to begin work on redeveloping the Nou Camp, with the renovation expected to finish in the 2025-26 season.
Fiji to host OFC Women’s Nations Cup, winners earn 2023 World Cup play-off
April 29 – Fiji will host the OFC Women’s Nations Cup 2022 in July with the winner earning a spot for the inter-continental playoffs on the road to the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
Women’s World Cup and Euros to be added to UK’s protected events list
April 29 – The UK government has added the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the UEFA European Women’s Championship to its ‘listed’ events, ensuring the tournaments will remain available for free-to-air television broadcasters.
Turkish Süper Lig leaders Trabzonspor plan NFT drop to celebrate title
April 29 – Trabzonspor, who need just two points from four games to be crowned Turkey’s Süper Lig champions, will celebrate with the launch of their first set of NFTs.
CSCF and Maltese Police deliver 5th IntegriSport Next match-fixing seminar
April 29 – The CSCF Sport Integrity Group and the Malta Police Force have completed the IntegriSport Next national Awareness Raising Session on match-fixing.
OneFootball raises £300m to drive growth and push business into blockchain and NFTs
April 28 – Football media platform OneFootball has raised $300 million to accelerate its growth and in particular an expansion into Web3, a new iteration of the internet based on blockchain technology.
UEFA warms to centralised ‘final four’ for Champions League
April 28 – European governing body UEFA is contemplating a ‘final four’ for the Champions League to replace the current, classic two-legged semi-finals and flagship final model.
Premier League vs LaLiga: Man City and Liverpool take UCL semi-final leads to Spain
April 28 – A second straight all-English Champions League final is on the cards after Liverpool swept aside Villarreal 2-0 in the first leg of their semi-final on Wednesday.
Pumas face Seattle test after late Sounders penalty keeps Concacaf CL final boiling
April 28 – Seattle Sounders kept themselves in the fight for the 2022 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League title after two late goals earned them a draw against Pumas in Mexico City last night.
LaLiga rethinks academy structures in bid to boost player pipelines
April 28 – LaLiga is planning an overhaul of its clubs’ academy structures via a new initiative titled the ‘National Plan forthe Optimisation and Improvement of Youth Academies’.
Man Utd lead Chelsea to top Premier League ranking of home-grown players
April 28 – Spain’s Athletic Club top a ranking of Big 5 league clubs whose home developed players have played the highest percentage of minutes this season. The Basque club has seen 55.8% of minutes played by home developed players.
Swedish lottery gives support to FA’s street football initiative
April 28 – Swedish lottery operator Svenska Spel has expanded its football activity with the allocation funds to support a number of street football projects across the country being developed by the Swedish Football Association (SvFF).
Aussies roll out World Cup Legacy ‘23 programme with first ambassadors named
April 28 – Football Australia has unveiled the first ambassadors for its Legacy ’23 programme that will leverage the Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 to raise awareness and advocacy for a number of initiatives.
Houston Dash’s Clarkson is fourth NWSL coach to be stood down over sexual misconduct allegations
April 27 – A fourth head coach in the 12-team National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has been stood down following the league’s investigation into “discrimination, harassment, abuse, and bullying”.
UEFA’s squeeze of ‘middle class’ in favour of big club UCL guarantees meets resistance
April 27 – UEFA’s plans to give two Champions League places to teams based on their historical record in Europe is being challenged by middle-ranked clubs who say the concept is unfair on a sporting level.