WSL winners and losers: Chelsea handed title, Liverpool relegated
June 5 – Chelsea have been awarded England’s Women’s Super League title on a points per game basis after the season was ended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Iraq cancels league as it plans for Qatar 2022 battle with Iran, but when can qualifiers resume?
By Paul Nicholson
June 5 – The Iraq Football Association, under the control of a FIFA normalisation committee, has called an end to the current Iraqi Premier League season, saying that it needed “preserve the readiness” of national team players for the World Cup qualifiers.
Qatar 2022 organisers announce the Education City Stadium is complete
June 5 – The Qatar 2022 organisers have announced the Education City Stadium in Doha as the third World Cup stadium to be completed.
Atletico hitman Costa clobbered for tax fraud in Spain
June 5 – Atletico Madrid’s international forward Diego Costa, one of the most irascible players in top-flight football, has been sentenced to a six-month prison term, which he will not have to serve, and been fined €543,208 after being found guilty of tax fraud.
FC Sion chief calls on Competition Commission to investigate Swiss league
June 5 – The controversial boss of Swiss club FC Sion is seeking to halt the resumption of the Swiss league by requesting an official investigation into the Swiss Football League by the country’s Competition Commission (COMCO).
NBA superstar Durant rumoured to have bought stake in MLS’s Philadelphia Union
June 5 – Basketball star Kevin Durant has become the latest celebrity to acquire a stake in an MLS franchise, having reportedly invested in the Philadelphia Union.
Atalanta coach Gasperini says Valencia’s Covid-19 statement is offensive
June 5 – A Covid-related row has broken out in Italian football after Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini admitted to having coronavirus symptoms when his team played Valencia in the Champions League in March.
Premier League clubs vote to use new five subs rule, but only three interchanges
June 5 – Premier League teams are adopting the five substitutes rule when fixtures resume later this month after approving the new guidelines.
SIGA Strives 24: Integrity body opens applications for Youth Council
June 5 – The Sports Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) has opened up applications to anyone aged 18-25 to become a member of its newly launched Youth Council for Sport Integrity.
Spurs’ £175m new borrowing implies Covid-19 could cost clubs 25-30% of revenue
By David Owen
June 4 – Spurs have become the first football club to tap the UK Government coronavirus support measure known as the Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF).
AFC commits to completing Champions League with centralised venue option possible
By Paul Nicholson and Andrew Warshaw
June 4 – The Asian Football Confederation says it is “committed” to completing this year’s regional Champions League after the latest round of talks with member federations.
Lyon boss Aulas threatens €800m lawsuit over government suspension of sport
June 4 – Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas (pictured), who has been at the forefront of opposition to scrapping the rest of the French season, has stepped up his efforts to have the campaign re-instated despite a government mandate to ban all top sport until September.
Germany and Portugal are frontrunners to host final rounds of Champions League
June 4 – On June 17 UEFA’s executive committee will decide the fate of both this season’s Europa League and Champions League, but reports suggest that Portugal and Germany are the early front runners to host the final stages of the Champions League.
MLS agrees player pay deal to set up restart with made-for-TV Orlando special
June 4 – Major League Soccer (MLS) and its players’ union (MLSPA) have reached agreement on a re-negotiated Collective Bargaining Agreement that will enable the season to restart with a new competition format to be played in Orlando, Florida.
Honved lift Hungarian cup but fans fail to follow social distancing rules
June 4 – In small and slow steps football is returning to a semblance of normality. On Wednesday, the Hungarian Cup Final between Budapest Honved and Mezokovesd was played in front of the biggest crowd in Europe since the outbreak of the coronavirus, but a minority of supporters failed to respect social distancing rules.