July 9 – South Africa’s FA (SAFA) has confirmed it will oversee all procedures relating to ‘return-to-play’ protocols after the country’s Sports Minister Nathi Mthethwa urged the federation and the Premier Soccer League to work together to pave the way for a resumption in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
By Paul Nicholson
July 8 – FIFA has blasted the ‘United TTFA’ lobby group and its lawyers who still believe they are running the Trinidad and Tobago FA despite having had their officials removed from office by a FIFA Normalisation Committee.
July 8 – Australia’s A-League has been plunged into chaos after several failed attempts to get Melbourne-based clubs out of the city amid tightening Covid-19 travel restrictions in the country.
July 8 – Football authorities in Armenia have suspended their entire second tier and handed out 45 lifetime bans after one of the biggest match-fixing episodes of recent years in Europe.
July 8 – The Belgian Pro League has confirmed a 16-team top flight format for next season with season-ending playoffs and a broadcast schedule that has incensed amateur clubs further down the pyramid.
July 8 – There have been over 50 inquiries about buying Wigan Athletic FC – including from the town’s rugby league side Wigan Warriors – after the English Championship club were plunged into administration when its Hong Kong owner pulled the plug on further funding, according to the joint administrators.
July 8 – After a long-running saga, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has cleared Barcelona of any wrongdoing when they signed Brazilian star Neymar from Santos back in 2013.
July 8 – FIFA has concluded its candidate host city workshop for the 2026 World Cup. In 2021, the world federation will name the host cities, slimming down the field of 17 contenders to 10 in the US.
July 7 – Spanish giants Real Madrid, who are currently undergoing renovation of their iconic Santiago Bernabéu stadium, have announced a wide ranging multi-channel retail programme.
July 8 – Belarus, the one country in Europe that insisted on carrying on playing regular football while others shut down earlier in the Covid-19 crisis, has announced the postponement of defending champion Dinamo Brest’s next game scheduled for this Friday.
July 7 – The Colombian Football Federation (FCF) and a raft of its most influential officials – including FIFA Council member Ramon Jesurun (pictured) – have been fined $4.6 million over a scam involving selling 2018 World Cup qualifying tickets at inflated prices.
July 7 – Qatar’s World Cup organisers are set to reduce their workforce as the emirate introduces austerity measures amid the coronavirus crisis, according to reports.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 7 – Wigan Athletic’s official supporters’ club have demanded a “full investigation” into how the second-tier Championship club became the first professional outfit in English football to be plunged into administration during the Covid-19 pandemic.
July 7 – Last year’s Women’s World Cup contributed €284 million to France’s GDP, resulting in a net capital gain of €108 million, a report commissioned by the France Football Federation (FFF) and the tournament Local Organising Committee claims.
July 7 – The MLS has pulled FC Dallas out of the MLS is Back Tournament in Florida following the high number of positive tests for the coronavirus within the club.