April 27 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has increased distribution in Africa of its major competitions with the announcement of StarTimes as its new media partner in Sub-Saharan Africa for 2021.
By Paul Nicholson
April 23 – Juventus boss Andrea Agnelli, a key leadership figure in the failed European Super League breakaway, has allegedly deferred his players’ salaries, according to a well-informed Insideworldfootball source.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 26 – UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin is keeping up the pressure on the 12 clubs who sought to set up the European Super League as English fans maintained their opposition to the aborted project.
April 26 – US bank and Super League backer JP Morgan has apologised for its role in the European Super League (ESL) fiasco, admitting that it misjudged the reaction from fans.
April 26 – The World Leagues Forum (WLF), which represents more than 40 professional league worldwide, has issued a statement calling for leagues to be better represented in football governance in the wake of the breakaway European Super League (ESL) furore.
April 26 – Japan’s J-league will revert to playing matches behind closed doors following a state of emergency being announced in the country that is due to host the Olympic Games this summer.
April 26 – In an unprecedented show of anti-discrimination unity, the entire professional pyramid of English football have joined forces to boycott social media next weekend in response to the online abuse aimed at players in recent weeks.
April 26 – South American football will face a demanding calendar this summer as governing body Conmebol announced that World Cup qualifying will resume in June before the Copa America kicks off.
April 26 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has given itself a week’s breathing space in the calendar for its AFC Cup ASEAN Zone group stages, its club competition focussed on emerging clubs.
April 26 – Wales men’s team coach Ryan Giggs will miss this summer’s rescheduled Euros after being charged with assaulting two women.
April 27 – The Eredivisie has agreed a three-year agreement with gaming developers First Touch Games with its 18 clubs appearing in the new version of mobile football game Score! Hero 2.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 23 – Bilbao and Dublin have been stripped of hosting rights by UEFA for this summer’s delayed Euro 2020 Championship because of concerns over whether fans would be definitely be allowed into stadia.
By Paul Nicholson
April 23 – Suspicions are multiplying that the hand of FIFA president Gianni Infantino was present behind the scenes in the encouragement of the 12 breakaway European Super League clubs.
By Samindra Kunti
April 23 – Amid a firestorm of condemnation and outrage at secretly concocted European Super League (ESL) plans, FC Barcelona have signalled their continued commitment to a proposed closed-shop, elite competition, highlighting “a need for structural reforms” and calling the backlash “intimidation” in an unapologetic statement.
April 23 –Concacaf has released detail of the nine stadia that will host Gold Cup group stages and knock-out rounds this summer with a focus on centralising matches around city hubs to reduce team travel.