Inside World Football - Page 865 of 2104 - For the Business of Football

CAF’s ‘corporate’ crisis makes its way pitchside as CL finalists Wydad walk out after 60mins

By Andrew Warshaw

June 3 – The image of African football, already tarnished by a series of FIFA bans of former senior officials and allegations surrounding current leader Ahmad Ahmad, suffered a damaging blow on the field Saturday when the showpiece final of the continent’s top club competition was sensationally abandoned after Wydad Casablanca of Morocco refused to continue in protest of VAR not being employed.

Performance

Spurs fans begin the long walk back to happiness after Madrid final’s missed opportunity

By Andrew Warshaw in Madrid

June 3 – The sight of thousands of crestfallen Tottenham Hotspur fans traipsing out of the Wanda Metropolitano stadium on Saturday, lost in thought following bitter defeat in the Champions League final, hardly told the full story.

Performance

Madrid: Liverpool climb Champions League summit as Spurs returned to base camp

By Samindra Kunti in Madrid

June 3 – Liverpool won a sixth European Cup by defeating Tottenham 2-0 in a Champions League final that failed to ignite. Mohamed Salah converted a second-minute penalty before Divock Origi ensured Liverpool’s win on almost on the whistle.

Integrity

Accident looking for somewhere to happen? Neymar vehemently denies Paris rape allegation

June 3 – Mired in controversy off the field far more often in recent months than scoring goals on it, Brazilian star Neymar is back in the news for all the wrong reasons, denying allegations by an unnamed woman that he drunkenly assaulted her at a top Paris hotel.

Concacaf

Reggae Girlz are bringing their own style to France 2019

June 3 – Last time Jamaica were in a World Cup final tournament in France was in 1998 when the Reggae Boyz instantly won hearts and minds as every football fan’s favourite second team. Now it’s the Reggae Girlz turn to bring the athleticsm and joy in the style only Jamaicans can.

Performance

Lost in the cloud. England turn to Google to give teams a data edge

June 3 – The data revolution has arrived at the English FA who have signed a new partnership with Google Cloud and the creation of a new analytics system that will be accessible to all the English national teams.

Football Marketing

VISA signs 5-year deal with USSF with 50% pledged to women’s game

June 3 – The US Soccer Federation (USSF) has signed a new five-year deal with VISA with the global payments firm taking a lead on gender parity, specifying that 50% of its sponsorship should go towards the women’s game.

Europe

Madrid authorities prepare for influx of more than 40,000 ticketless Liverpool and Spurs fans

By Samindra Kunti in Madrid

May 30 – After a protracted three-week build up, Liverpool and Tottenham will provide the grand finale of the European club season on Saturday in the Spanish capital with an army of British fans invading the city ahead of the Champions League final.

Europe

Tebas lashes out at ‘toxic and detrimental’ Champions League proposals and denies racism

By Samindra Kunti in Madrid

May 31 – At a seminar ahead of the Champions League final La Liga boss Javier Tebas again slammed the plans of UEFA and ECA to reform European football from 2024 with a continental Super League. He also rubbished what he deemed insinuations of racism by Manchester City boss Khaldoon Al-Mubarak.

Europe

Pochettino says it will be emotional, Kane is ‘ready to go’, only Liverpool stand in the way

By Andrew Warshaw

May 31 – They are the underdogs with the bookmakers, are in unchartered territory and face a side desperate to make up for the pain of 12 months ago. But as the old cliché goes – or two clichés to be precise – it’s 11 versus 11 and anything can happen on the day when Tottenham Hotspur take on firm favourites Liverpool for Champions League glory on Saturday.

CONIFA members find a happy home on MyCujoo’s streaming platform

May 31 – It isn’t the biggest TV deal ever done and it isn’t the biggest football tournament on the planet, but it nevertheless is still national team football, even if the nations are unrecognised.

Africa

Zamalek president Murtada fires Swiss manager Gross calling him an infidel

By Abdelaziz Abuhamar

May 31 – In what is one of the more bizarre performance-related sackings of a top manager, irritable president of Egyptian club Zamalek Murtada Mansour fired Swiss coach Christian Gross soon after his side drew 1-1 against Al-Entag in an Egyptian Premier League tie on Thursday.

Concacaf

Las Vegas set to spin the wheel for 30th MLS franchise slot

May 31 – Las Vegas will decide next week whether it will make a bid to be the 30th MLS franchise when its City Council meet to discuss a proposal for a downtown stadium.

Concacaf

Expanded Concacaf League holds draw with additional Champions League slots at stake

May 31 – The expanded Concacaf League club tournament, the baby brother of Concacaf’s leading regional Champions League competition, has held the draw for its second edition in Guatemala.

Broadcast

BeIN secures Women’s World Cup with a week to go and launches beINSPIRED initiative

May 30 – BeIN Sports will broadcast the Women’s World Cup after striking a deal with FIFA to air the tournament in more than 30 countries across Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.