By Samindra Kunti
May 19 – A World Cup every two years? It was once mooted by former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, but the idea could gain traction again after the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) asked FIFA to conduct a feasibility study on the impact of playing both the men’s and women’s global finals on a biennial basis.
May 19 – Bundesliga clubs have turned down interest from private equity investors expressing an interest in investing in a minority stake in the newly created entities that will sell the league’s international rights.
May 19 – Karim Benzema’s exile from the French national team over a sex-tape scandal is at an end. In a surprise move Didier Deschamps has recalled the Madrid striker for Les Bleus’ Euro 2020 squad.
May 19 – Former England manager and Crystal Palace legend Roy Hodgson will retire from the game at the end of the season. He was a pioneer for British coaches abroad and coached the Three Lions in the twilight of his five-decade career in the game.
May 19 – beIN Sports has extended its broadcast rights deal with Spain’s LaLiga for the French market until 2024.
May 19 – The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) have enhanced their AFC Cup 2027 bid hosting credentials following the successful completion of three groups of the East Zone 2021 AFC Champions League.
May 19 – The embattled French Football Federation (FFF) will downsize operations by letting 26 employees go in a bid to tackle a projected deficit for the 2020/21 season.
By Paul Nicholson
May 18 – FIFA Ethics’ chair of its investigatory chamber, Colombian Claudia Rojas, could switch to the chair of its adjudicatory chamber following voting by member associations that closes today. If elected as head of the judiciary, it would mean she would have the final judgement on ongoing cases she has opened and/or investigated.
May 18 – A UK parliamentary petition has now topped more than 100,000 signatures calling an independent regulator in English football.
May 18 – It’s the news every Tottenham Hotspur fan has been dreading. England captain Harry Kane has reportedly asked to leave at the end of the season, marking the end of an era and sparking a scramble among Europe’s richest clubs for the prolific striker’s prized signature.
May 18 – On Sunday, FC Barcelona were crowned champions of Europe with a thumping 4-0 win against English champions Chelsea in the Women’s Champions League. It marked a new high point in perception for the women’s game in Europe, with two of the biggest men’s clubs on the continent demonstrating they take the women’s game seriously.
May 18 – Confirmation has now been made that Fritz Keller (pictured) has officially resigned with immediate effect as president of the German Football Association after sparking a wave of criticism for comparing his colleague to a notorious Nazi judge.
May 18 – With Australia set to co-host with New Zealand the Women’s 2023 World Cup, the government has announced new funding for the federation’s high-performance women’s programme.
May 18 – Serie A has completed its domestic broadcast deals for the next three seasons, with Sky Italia picking up the remaining package of live rights for €85 million for the 2021-22 season.
May 18 – Liverpool, energised in their pursuit of Champions League qualification by the drama of the added time winning header by goalkeeper Alisson on Monday night, have been given further fuel with a new partnership with global energy drink company, Predator Energy.