By Paul Nicholson
July 3 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino took a step nearer towards a full criminal investigation in Switzerland into his behaviour following the announcement today by the supervisory authority of the Federal Prosecutor’s Office that an extraordinary federal public prosecutor had been appointed to examine criminal complaints made against him and Swiss federal prosecutor Michael Lauber.
By Paul Nicholson
July 3 – The leak of witness statements from a 2013 Trinidad and Tobago court case concerning national team coach Terry Fenwick, the former English defender turned football manager-cum-marketing spiv, sheds more light via a series of shocking revelations concerning Fenwick’s violent temper, his extreme behaviour and his alleged and multiple fraudulent business dealings.
July 3 – Manchester City are set to learn their European fate on July 13 in a ruling that will have major consequences for both the club and UEFA’s entire financial fair play strategy.
By Samindra Kunti
July 3 – In an unprecedented move, Brazilian broadcasting behemoth TV Globo has rescinded its contract with Rio de Janeiro’s state football federation after Flamengo streamed their match against Boa Vista on Youtube under a temporary federal rule introduced by Jair Bolsonaro.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 3 – The controversial use of VAR, which had taken something of a backseat amid the enthusiasm of matches getting back under way in the wake of Covid-19, burst into the spotlight again Thursday with one of the most farcical, non-sensical interpretations of the rule ever applied.
July 3 – Gambling sponsorship on football shirts in the UK should be banned as a deterrant to young people being lured into betting, a British House of Lords report has recommended.
July 3 – French prosecutors have asked that Real Madrid star and French international Karim Benzema face trial over his alleged involvement in the attempted sex-tape blackmail of former teammate Mathieu Valbuena.
July 3 – Rui Pinto, the Portuguese whistleblower whose string of incriminating revelations shook the footballing world before he was controversially extradited from Hungary to his native Portugal, will stand trial on September 4 accused of attempted extortion, computer hacking and breach of correspondence, according to reports.
July 2 – UEFA has kicked off the fifth cycle of its HatTrick programme with a commitment to invest €775.5 million in the development of the game over the next four years.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 2 – In a move that has shocked neutral fans across the country, Wigan Athletic of the second-tier Championship have become the first professional English club to fall into administration as a result of Covid-19.
July 2 – UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin is confident that there will be “no need for a Plan B” for this season’s final eight of the Europa League which Germany will stage in August.
July 2 – LaLiga is investing in the build of a new multi-sport complex that will become the league’s new centre for national and international sports projects and education initiatives.
July 2 – Bulgarian football fans violated social distancing rules in the domestic cup final which Lokomotiv Plovdiv won for a second consecutive time by defeating CSKA Sofia from the penalty spot.
July 2 – At last good news for French league football. Online bookmaker Betclic has agreed a three-season deal to become a marquee partner of the Ligue de Football Professional’s (LFP) Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 championships.
July 2 – The Danish Cup final was suspended for 15 minutes when fans refused to comply with the social distancing rules inside the stadium.