Season finish: UEFA relaxes hard line stance on early season finishes
April 22 – UEFA has admitted for the first time that it is prepared to accept domestic leagues being permanently called off in “special cases” because of Covid-19.
Sports Law at the Crossroads II – new dates planned for forum
April 22 – In the light of the ongoing situation, as well as considering the expected developments of the coronavirus pandemic, the IWF-RexSport Forum that was scheduled to take place in Barcelona in June has been postponed.
Germany and Sweden advance plans to restart pro leagues in May/June
April 22 – Germany looks set to become the first of the Big 5 leagues in Europe to resume playing when the spread of Covid-19 eases.
Barca to donate Camp Nou naming rights fees to battle against Covid-19
April 22 – FC Barcelona will sell the naming rights to its famous Camp Nou stadium but donate the proceeds to coronavirus funds.
SIGA Strives 12: Integrity body updates Universal Standards with help of BSI
April 22 – SIGA has updated its Universal Standards in preparation for the pilot phase of SIRVS, the rating and verification system that federations will be able to use to audit the governance integrity standards of their organisations.
Coronavirus: Spurs duo apologise for breaking lockdown guidelines
April 22 – Serge Aurier and Moussa Sissoko, both of Tottenham Hotspur, are the latest top-flight English Premier League footballers to flout government guidelines on social distancing – once again tarnishing the club’s reputation during the coronavirus.
FIFA says $1bn spend on women’s game will not be impacted by Covid-19
April 21 – FIFA has said that the coronavirus pandemic will not touch the world federation’s ambitious plans to invest $1 billion in the women’s game.
UEFA starts round of key meetings with Ceferin still confident seasons can complete
April 21 – On the eve of three days of pivotal meetings with all of European football’s main stakeholders, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin says leagues across the Continent are ready to play behind closed doors in a bid to limit the impact of Covid-19.
Player depression stats have doubled since start of lockdown, says FIFPro
April 21 – The global players’ union FIFPro has warned of a massive rise in the number of players reporting symptoms of depression or anxiety since the sport was brought to a shuddering halt by Covid-19.
Belgian court winds up Lokeren with €5m debt outstanding
April 21 – Sporting Lokeren has been declared bankrupt by a local commercial court after the Belgian club failed to find new investors to solve its debt crisis.
Virus spread: Did Liverpool vs Atletico CL match accelerate the city’s infection rate?
April 21 – Amid persistent accusations that the British government, unlike much of Europe, reacted far too late in trying to halt the spread of Covid-19, speculation over a possible link between positive cases in Liverpool and the club’s Champions League match with Atletico Madrid last month has intensified.
England 4th in ranking of overseas players; Brazil, France and Argentina dominate
April 21 – Brazil remains top of the list of countries with most expatriate players plying their trade outside their countries, but England – whose players are historically reckoned to be the poorest travellers – are a surprising fourth in the ranking.
Ozil and two others stall on agreeing Arsenal pay cuts, say reports
April 21 – German midfielder Mezut Ozil, who has long divided opinion on the field, is reported to be one of three Arsenal players to have rejected taking a pay-cut after the club became the first to agree a virtual across-the-board wage reduction as a result of Covid-19.
New Infantino links to Swiss judiciary raise more questions of integrity and impartiality
By Andrew Warshaw
April 20 – Yet another significant twist has emerged over undocumented dealings between FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Switzerland’s judiciary authorities.
CAF suspends its flagship club competitions
April 20 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has postponed its two major clubs finals in May because of the coronavirus pandemic.