By Paul Nicholson
May 16 – The top two divisions of Germany’s Bundesliga have added their voices to the lobby rejecting the current reform proposals for international club competition.
May 16 – The president of the Andorran Football Federation has resigned following an investigation into alleged embezzlement of FIFA and UEFA funds.
May 16 – South Korea have pulled out of their bid to host the 2023 Asian Cup, leaving China as the last remaining bidder for the AFC’s 24-team blue riband event.
May 15 – Another milestone in the development of 2022 World Cup infrastructure will be achieved on Thursday when the newly-built 40,000-capacity Al Wakrah Stadium hosts its first competitive game, the domestic Emir Cup final.
May 15 – When he was in charge of UEFA, Michel Platini famously described match-fixing as the cancer of football.
May 15 – More than 1,300 Brazilians currently play professional football outside their country. While Brazil is the leading exporter of players, France ranks second (867 players overseas) and Argentina third (820).
By Paul Nicholson
May 15 – French club Olympique Lyonnais whose women’s team compete in the Champions League final this week and whose men’s team are set for a third placed Ligue1 finish, has reported a €36.1 million (19%) leap in revenue of the first nine months of the current financial year to €223.8 million.
May 15 – Crystal Palace have said that they are not in negotiation on a £150 million takeover deal involving former Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra.
May 15 – Jose Mourinho, out of a job since being sacked by Manchester United just before Christmas following their worst start to a season for 28 years, has not been able to resist a dig at both Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino, managers of Champions League finalists Liverpool and Tottenham.
May 15 – Genoa, Italy’s oldest professional football club which even has the word cricket in its official name, will be put up for sale, the Serie A outfit said in a statement.
By Osasu Obayiuwana
May 14 – Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Ahmad Ahmad has come under increasing African and international criticism from the media and even within his own executive committee. Osasu Obayiuwana separately interviewed Ahmad and one of the leading dissident voices within CAF, Musa Bility. The full interviews are printed here.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 14 – Amid the euphoria of retaining their Premier League title, Manchester City have been brought crashing down to earth with reports that they could be banned from the Champions league – the trophy they crave more than any.
May 14 – Spanish league president Javier Tebas has once again come out fighting over plans to overhaul the Champions League warning that the changes will seriously affect competitive balance in his country and beyond.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 14 – To what extent does doping infiltrate esports, a craze that has enjoyed phenomenal growth in recent years with prize pools of several million dollars and FIFA even organising their own eWorld Cup?
By Paul Nicholson
May 14 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has said that it has not cancelled its TV rights agreement with beIN Sports and that the broadcaster, it said in a statement, “remains a valued commercial partner of the AFC”.