Belgians drop topflight play-off format in favour of return to traditional league structure
February 28 – Belgian clubs have ditched the controversial playoffs format of the topflight in favour of a traditional 18-club league format.
News
Top player, top tournament? Is AFCON why Salah won’t win Ballon d’Or?
February 26 – Former Liverpool defender, Jamie Carragher has drawn the ire of former Manchester United defender, Rio Ferdinand with his comments disparaging the African Cup of Nations (AFCON).
BFU bans leading academy from national training base after referee attacked at U14 cup final
February 26 – The Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) has terminated its relations with the Ares Football Academy and banned all of their teams from training at the Boyana National Football Base.
Čeferin talks globalism and Champions League in a world that has not been as dangerous since pre-WW2
February 25 – UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin reckons that 99% of people are now satisfied with the Champions League but says there is no discussion about taking the final of the competition to the US, despite the new partnership with new US-based marketing agency Relevent.
Marseilles president accuses French refs of rigging games after loss to Auxerre
February 24 – Marseille president Pablo Longoria (pictured) faces almost certain punishment from French footballing authorities after an outburst on Saturday in which he claimed his club were the victims of “corruption” following a 3-0 Ligue 1 loss to Auxerre.
Textor fires both barrels at PSG’s ‘illegal’ state finance model, saying rules are not being applied evenly
February 24 – Lyon co-owner John Textor has publicly criticised PSG’s ownership structure, labeling it as ‘illegal’.
China’s JD.com debuts as final secondary sponsor for UEFA Champions League
February 24 – UEFA has locked in its final secondary sponsor for the Champions League, with Chinese e-commerce powerhouse JD.com joining EA Sports, Oppo, and Topps in the ‘Global Enhanced Product / Service Partner’ tier.
Rangers’ patience runs out and part company with Philippe Clement
February 24 – Scottish giants Rangers have sacked under-fire coach Philippe Clement in the aftermath of back-to-back home defeats, the latest being Saturday’s 2-0 setback against St Mirren.
Bellingham’s foul mouth red card sparks avalanche of abuse aimed at referee Montero
February 19 – The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has condemned the “repulsive” abuse suffered by referee Jose Munuera Montero since his decision to send off Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham.
Triumph turns to disaster as Lokomotiv Plovdiv fans spoil opening of new stand
February 17 – Sunday was supposed to be a day of celebration for Lokomotiv Plovdiv, but it ended up becoming a nightmare for the Plovdiv club and Bulgarian football in general.
Racism: Milutin Osmajic accused of abusing Hannibal Mejbri
February 17 – Racism has reared its ugly head again, this time in the English Championship with Burnley midfielder, Hannibal Mejbri accusing Preston North End (PNE) striker, Milutin Osmajic of racially abusing him.
Relevent enters exclusive negotiation over UEFA club competition sales rights
February 12 – New York-based Relevent Sports has long seen itself as a disruptor in world football, and now they have officially hit ‘pay-dirt’ after overcoming rival bidders to earn an exclusive negotiation period to secure the global commercial sales rights to UEFA’s men’s club competitions.
German consumer body opens class action against Bundesliga TV partner DAZN for price gouging
February 10 – The Federation of German Consumer Organisations (Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband) is pursuing a class action lawsuit against DAZN, alleging unjustified price increases.
Media giant Bertlesmann buys position in Kings League’s German plan
February 10 – German media powerhouse Bertelsmann, the majority owner of RTL Group, has quietly positioned itself as a key player in the latest expansion of Kings League, the seven-a-side football competition first launched by former Spain and Barcelona defender Gerard Pique.
Blast from the past. Millwall’s ‘tragedy chanting’ condemned by Leeds
February 10 – The FA Cup 4th round tie between Leeds United and Millwall has resulted in both clubs condemning ‘tragedy chanting’ by Lions supporters at Elland Road.