Denmark’s Midtjylland plans for drive-in match days once league returns
April 20 – A Danish club has come up with an ingenious way of letting fans watch games live when the league there eventually resumes: Drive-in football.
Mexico’s Liga MX ends promotion/relegation for 5 years. Ascensio MX to be development league
April 20 – Liga MX’s 18 clubs, meeting via video conference, have suspended promotion and relegation between the top tier and second tier, Ascenso MX, for the next five years.
Premier League in limbo as clubs wait for government guidelines
April 17 – English Premier League clubs say they still remain committed to finishing the current season but have stopped short of imposing a June 30 deadline for a resumption while lockdown restrictions remain in place because of Covid-19.
TTFA’s unloved Home of Football opens as Covid-19 facility, Wallace on CAS deadline
By Paul Nicholson
April 17 – Controversially not considered of high enough standard to house Trinidad’s footballers, the recently opened and rapidly closed Trinidad and Tobago FA’s Home of Football is now to be used as a facility in the islands’ battle against the coronavirus.
Survey confirms shift to betting on esports during shutdown
By David Owen
April 17 – New research gives an indication of the size of the hit the sports gambling sector can expect as a consequence of the COVID-19-inspired shutdown, while also confirming that some gamblers are looking on esports with renewed interest.
Juventus digital fan token gains 17% in first 90 minutes of trading
April 17 – The Juventus fan token ($JUV) just launched on the Chiliz.net platform saw 24 hour total trading volume pass $600,000 with $JUV volume over $250,000.
Leeds plunge deeper into the red in pursuit of Premier League promised land
By David Owen
April 17 – Leeds United, one-time giants of the English game who were lying top of the second-tier Championship when the season was put into cold storage because of coronavirus, have posted a big loss for the 2018-19 financial year.
French draw line under amateur game, but leave opening to complete Ligue 1, 2 and women
April 17 – French amateur football won’t return this season, the French Football Federation (FFF) announced on Thursday. The fate of both Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 and the women’s top flight continue to remain in doubt.
UEFA to meet next week on Champions League and Europa League finish dates
April 17 – UEFA is holding a pivotal meeting of its executive committee next week which could finally decide how to conclude this season’s Champions League and Europa League with reports suggesting the two finals could take place at the end of August at their scheduled venues, Istanbul and Gdansk.
Pasquier moves into private practice after 7 years as AFC’s General Counsel
April 17 – Asian Football Confederation (AFC) General Counsel and Director of Legal Affairs Benoit Pasquier is leaving his position at the end of April after nearly seven years with the confederation.
Former FIFA ethics judge Eckert questions ‘confusion’ of Infantino/Lauber meetings
By Andrew Warshaw
April 17 – Former FIFA ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert, removed three years ago by the FIFA Council led by Gianni Infantino, has added his voice to speculation over the motives of undocumented meetings between Infantino and Switzerland’s attorney general Michael Lauber.
FIFPro warns ‘fragile’ women’s game could be a long term casualty of Covid-19
By Samindra Kunti
April 17 – World players’ union FIFPro has warned that the women’s game faces an “existential threat” as football’s global shutdown due to the coronavirus will upend the sport’s finances.
EFL’s Parry says priority is completing season, most likely behind closed doors on live TV
April 17 – Clubs from England’s Football League (EFL), the three divisions below the Premier League, have been told that all matches will probably be played behind closed doors when fixtures resume – but, crucially, that they should be broadcast live.
Former Man City star Etuhu loses appeal against ban for attempted match-fixing
April 17 – Former Nigerian international Dickson Etuhu (pictured), who played for a raft English teams including Manchester City, has been banned from football in Sweden, where he last competed, for five years for attempted match-fixing.
SIGA Strives 11: Integrity body and Soccerex to launch webinar series
April 17 – The Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) and Soccerex are launching a series of bespoke webinars for the sports industry on hot topics impacting the sector.