By Andrew Warshaw
May 21 – The head of Qatar’s 2022 World Cup organising committee says the Saudi-led regional blockade of his country has been a “blessing in disguise” and has also vowed to ensure the tournament remains affordable to visitors despite the impact of Covid-19.
May 21 – Concacaf President and FIFA Vice-President Victor Montagliani has said that the biggest challenge facing federations is not the financial costs being faced right now but the costs of ensuring compliance with health measures in the future. He also felt that it was unlikely to see a return of fans to international matches before the major tournaments in 2021.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 21 – The fate of Michael Lauber, (pictured) Switzerland’s leading prosecutor, hangs perilously in the balance after lawmakers voted to launch impeachment proceedings against him amidst much-publicised concerns over his relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
March 20 – The head of world football’s players’ union has urged clubs not to force scared players to return to training saying it would be “inhumane and unacceptable” if they were punished for taking such a stance.
May 21 – Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi, has demanded a meeting with Premier League boss Richard Masters to discuss the proposed £300 million takeover of Newcastle United by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, PIF, a finance vehicle closely associated to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
May 20 – Danish sports and leisurewear brand hummel has signed a club-record technical partnership with Premier League Everton.
May 21 – It almost defies belief. For the third time in a matter of weeks, Tottenham Hotspur’s Ivory Coast international defender Serge Aurier has been accused of breaching of physical distancing rules and is facing a hefty fine, according to reports.
May 21 – On the back of last weekend’s successful resumption of the Bundesliga, the German FA (DBF) has confirmed that the women’s Bundesliga will restart later this month as well.
May 21 – South Korea’s professional football league has imposed a record fine on one of its clubs for using sex dolls to fill empty stands at its second game of the resumed K League season last Sunday.
By Samindra Kunti
May 20 – German football bosses want to see deep reaching financial reforms in the game following the coronavirus pandemic, with Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and DFB president Fritz Keller becoming the latest voices to back the introduction of a salary cap.
May 20 – South Korea and Germany may have been trailblazers in restarting their domestic seasons, but other leagues are following suit. On Tuesday, action returned in both Estonia and Costa Rica.
May 20 – On Tuesday, Brazil registered a new high of 1,179 coronavirus deaths in a single day, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the secretary general of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) Walter Feldman (pictured) from tentatively projecting football’s restart in June in the country.
May 20 – The integrity of a match reportedly played between two Brazilian clubs on March 25, and which was offered on the betting markets attracting a reported £1.4 million in wagers, is being investigated.
May 20 – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has set aside three days in June to hear Manchester City’s eagerly anticipated appeal against a two-year ban from European competition for breaching financial fair play rules.
May 20 – UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin admits he has been having sleepless nights due to the effects on football of the Covid-19 pandemic, partly because of the huge amount of money that will be lost, as the organisation pushes ahead to try and get the Champions League and Europa League completed.