April 7 – With the AFC Champions League set to start today with preliminary qualifying rounds, Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has reaffirmed the confederation’s commitment to its competition calendar.
April 7 – The financial fall out of Serie A’s failure to back beIN Sport in its battle against piracy and in particular Saudi-focussed BeoutQ has now come home to roost via a drop in overseas broadcast rights that could be as much as €150 million annually.
By David Owen
April 7 – Premier League champions-elect Manchester City plunged heavily into the red during the covid-impacted 2019-20 season, posting a king-sized pre-tax loss of £125.1 million.
April 7 – Just days after the nine hosts cities for the 2023 Women’s World Cup were announced, FIFA has opened invitations to tender for the media rights to the tournament in both host markets, Australia and New Zealand.
April 7 – Slavia Prague defender Ondrej Kudela, who was at the centre of a racism storm last month, has been provisionally suspended for one game by UEFA ahead of a full hearing.
April 7 – Ten clubs from the English Football League Championship placed under a transfer embargo last month are arguing that the English Football League (EFL) rules have not taken into account new government rules on company filings and that they are being unlawfully restricted.
April 7 – Bundesliga outfit Hertha Berlin have dismissed their goalkeeping coach Zsolt Petry over homophobic and anti-migrant comments that he made in an interview with Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet, citing that Petry’s values were incompatible with those of the club.
April 7 – MLS team San Jose Earthquakes have sealed a ten-year stadium naming rights deal with PayPal in a deal estimated at more than $20 million, according to local sources.
April 7 – Italy’s government has decided that Rome’s Olympic stadium can admit a limited number of fans for European Championship matches this summer, a welcome boost to UEFA amid concerns some venues may not be ready.
April 7 – BMW has agreed a sponsorship with AC Milan to become one of the club’s premium sponsors as its ‘Automotive Partner’.
April 6 – South Africa’s leading football official Danny Jordaan (pictured right) has been appointed as a special advisor on sports and marketing to African supremo Patrice Motsepe (pictured left).
By David Owen
April 5 – FIFA doled out not far off $50 million of interest-free loans to national associations during the first six months when its covid-19 relief plan was in operation.
By Paul Nicholson
April 6 – The bitter conflict over broadcast rights and piracy in Saudi Arabia has seen the first regional resolution with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announcing an exclusive agreement with the Saudi Sports Company for the media rights to all its competitions for the 2021-2024 commercial cycle.
April 6 – After being empty for more than year because of the coronavirus pandemic, Wembley will welcome 8,000 fans for this month’s League Cup final between holders Manchester City, who are going for a unique quadruple of trophies, and Tottenham Hotspur.
April 6 – A Serbian referee has been handed a 15-month prison sentence and banned from officiating in his country for 10 years after awarding two highly suspicious penalties, one of which was described as “scandalous” by the local media.