May 20 – The gentle trend towards longer term broadcast rights agreements in international broadcast markets has been continued with the Bundesliga announcing a five-year extension to its SkyPerfecTV! (SPTV) deal in Japan.
By Paul Nicholson
May 20 – Today is a big one for the beleaguered Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber (pictured) who has seen his FIFA cases fall like dominoes amid a growing global concern over his relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, and whether a series of undocumented meetings have altered the natural course of justice.
May 20 – In what will be regarded as a boost for what has been dubbed ‘Project Restart’, the English Premier League says just six positive results have come back from 748 coronavirus tests carried out in its first wave of mass testing.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 19 – English Premier League clubs took another small but significant step towards resuming their season today when players were allowed to train in “small group” sessions, with a possible return to normal training next week.
May 19 – UEFA has postponed a key executive committee meeting until June 17 as it grapples with how the remainder of this season’s Champions League and Europa League campaigns will pan out.
May 19 – Spain’s La Liga has drawn up a detailed plan for the clubs to implement when match days return with the league hoping for a June 12 start behind closed doors.
May 19 – The return of top-flight German football may have been generally regarded as a success in the wake of Covid-19 but players will be reminded to respect social distancing rules as a result of one incident that broke the rules in Hertha Berlin’s 3-0 win at Hoffenheim.
May 19 – Qatar will aim to complete their domestic season by August 26, the Qatar Football Association (QFA) has announced.
May 19 – Inter Milan, FC Bayern and Real Madrid have joined forces to launch the ‘European Solidarity Cup’ in 2021 to send a message of solidarity and raise funds to support medical infrastructures in the wake of the coronavirus.
May 19 – Seasons may be struggling to complete but already bookmakers are starting to make sponsorship plays for next season.
May 19 – As ingenious ways of improving the atmosphere in empty stadiums during the coronavirus pandemic goes, it wasn’t perhaps the cleverest or most obvious.
May 19 – Chelsea and England winger Callum Hudson-Odoi has been arrested on suspicion of rape according to British press reports and confirmed by police.
May 18 – After weeks of turmoil, claim and counter-claim, Celtic have been crowned Scottish champions for the ninth season in a row after the Scottish Professional Football League opted to curtail the current league season despite considerable opposition – joining the likes of France, Holland and Belgium in halting fixtures because of Covid-19.
By Paul Nicholson
May 18 – The global sports sponsorship spend looks set to fall by $17.2 billion, from $46.1 billion in 2019 to $28.9 billion (37% year-on-year decrease) in 2020 as the result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 18 – Mark Pieth, the Swiss governance expert first brought in by FIFA to oversee its reform process, has added his voice to those calling for the head of Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber.