England’s 4th tier votes to end season, but 3rd tier Sunderland and Portsmouth want to play on
May 18 – The fourth professional tier of English football has succumbed to the inevitable and has agreed to abandon the rest of its league season.
Bundesliga goes viral as it begins Big league fightback against Covid-19
By Andrew Warshaw
May 15 – After a two-month suspension caused by Covid-19, top-flight European football is back this weekend – under vastly different circumstances, behind closed doors and only in one country, but nevertheless a significant boost for millions of sports-starved fans across the globe.
FIFA says turning a meeting with prosecutors into a criminal complaint is a ‘farce’
By Paul Nicholson
May 15 – FIFA has responded to reports of the criminal complaint filed against president Gianni Infantino with the regional prosecutor’s office in Bern, Switzerland, saying the complaint is farcical and that FIFA will not stop meeting with prosecutors in their investigations of criminal wrongdoing.
UK government clears way for PL restart but wants league to be TV accessible to nation
May 15 – The Premier League’s plans to resume the season next month have been given a boost with Britain’s Culture and Sport secretary Oliver Dowden saying the government was “opening the door” for football to return in June behind closed doors with the possibility of more accessibility to armchair fans.
‘Not me’, says Blatter, over criminal complaint against Infantino
May 15 – Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter has denied being behind the submission of an anonymous criminal complaint against his successor, Gianni Infantino.
Politicians urge Lauber to stand down now to save himself, and Swiss reputation
May 15 – Just days before his appearance before judicial authorities, Switzerland’s attorney general Michael Lauber has again been urged to stand down over his bungled handling of an official investigation into alleged FIFA-related corruption as well as undocumented meetings with FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
OL predicts €50m Covid-19 impact on financial year
By Paul Nicholson
May 15 – French Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais has reported that it expects a €50 million impact on its revenue in the final April 1 to June 30 quarter as a result of no play due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Forget VAR, Covid-19 cheats looks set to be the new rule stretching frontier
May 15 – An unusual corona-related football row has broken out in Austria with league leaders Linz accused by rivals of breaking Covid-19 rules by returning to full training too early. The club itself counters it has been the victim of industrial espionage.
Dutch duo lose court battle over promotion to Eredivisie
May 15 – On Thursday, Cambuur Leeuwarden and De Graafschap Doetinchem had their dreams of promotion to the Eredivisie quashed by a Dutch judge, who dismissed their claim that they should go up.
Belgian Pro League battles to find winning formulas for under-pressure clubs
By Samindra Kunti
May 15 – Belgian football’s deadlock has reached a boiling point. The Pro League is currently confronting a panoply of problems that require an urgent and transparent solution to prevent a further meltdown of the local game and not aggravate the plight of smaller clubs already hammered by the coronavirus crisis.
Criminal complaint filed with Bern prosecutor over Infantino’s secret Lauber meetings
By Paul Nicholson
May 14 – A criminal complaint has been filed against FIFA president Gianni Infantino, with the regional prosecutor’s office in Bern, Switzerland.
Swiss AG Lauber faces impeachment over botched FIFA probe and Infantino links
By Andrew Warshaw
May 14 – The fate of Switzerland’s attorney general Michael Lauber will go some way to being decided next week after he was summoned to appear before the Swiss judiciary on May 20 to defend his handling of an official investigation into alleged FIFA-related corruption as well as undocumented meetings with FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
English FA takes FIFA back to CAS over CHF350k fine in Chelsea child trafficking case
May 14 – The English Football Association is taking FIFA to sport’s highest court in relation to the two-window transfer ban slapped on Chelsea that was halved back in December.
Project Restart hits speed bump with managers pushing for another week of preparation
May 14 – The resumption of the English Premier League, known as Project Restart, may have to be delayed following a managers’ meeting on Wednesday during which player welfare was discussed at length.
English Championship clubs told to stay home until May 25
May 14 – Clubs in England’s second-tier Championship have been asked to push back a return to training until May 25 at the earliest amid stark warnings over a financial hole caused by the coronavirus pandemic.