Ajax promise change of culture after Overmars scandal
May 4 – Ajax Amsterdam have vowed to change their club culture and build a safe workplace for female employees following a report into Marc Overmars’ inappropriate behaviour.
Europe
Faulkner takes comms lead at ECA
May 4 – The European Club Association (ECA) has appointed former UEFA official Rob Faulkner as its new director of communications and marketing.
UEFA ends Russian women’s Euro 22 hopes as participation doors slammed shut across the sport
By Andrew Warshaw
May 3 – Any hopes Russia may have had of returning to the global footballing fold have been dashed by a swathe of strict new sanctions imposed by UEFA in the wake of the continued invasion of Ukraine.
Real Madrid’s LaLiga title makes it a Big 5-out-of-5 league wins for Ancelotti
May 3 – Carlo Ancelotti has become the first manager to capture the league title in each of Europe’s top five leagues – England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France.
Out of contract. Super agent Mino Raiola dies, aged 54
May 3 – One of the game’s most colourful and controversial figures, football agent Mino Raiola died at the age of 54, his family confirmed on Saturday.
European Leagues says UEFA’s new UCL format will damage domestic competitions
By Andrew Warshaw
April 29 – Europe’s major leagues have rekindled the fierce debate over the future format of the Champions League by urging UEFA to change tack in order to protect domestic football.
Barca greenlighted for €1.5bn Nou Camp renovation
April 29 – FC Barcelona have been given the green light by local authorities to begin work on redeveloping the Nou Camp, with the renovation expected to finish in the 2025-26 season.
UEFA warms to centralised ‘final four’ for Champions League
April 28 – European governing body UEFA is contemplating a ‘final four’ for the Champions League to replace the current, classic two-legged semi-finals and flagship final model.
Premier League vs LaLiga: Man City and Liverpool take UCL semi-final leads to Spain
April 28 – A second straight all-English Champions League final is on the cards after Liverpool swept aside Villarreal 2-0 in the first leg of their semi-final on Wednesday.
LaLiga rethinks academy structures in bid to boost player pipelines
April 28 – LaLiga is planning an overhaul of its clubs’ academy structures via a new initiative titled the ‘National Plan forthe Optimisation and Improvement of Youth Academies’.
Swedish lottery gives support to FA’s street football initiative
April 28 – Swedish lottery operator Svenska Spel has expanded its football activity with the allocation funds to support a number of street football projects across the country being developed by the Swedish Football Association (SvFF).
UEFA’s squeeze of ‘middle class’ in favour of big club UCL guarantees meets resistance
April 27 – UEFA’s plans to give two Champions League places to teams based on their historical record in Europe is being challenged by middle-ranked clubs who say the concept is unfair on a sporting level.
Ukrainian Premier League abandons season after invasion prevents restart
April 27 – Ukraine’s top-flight league, which has had no matches since the Russian invasion, has been officially disbanded with the current standings declared final and no winner because the lack of competitive action.
New study to research why pro players are 3.5 times more likely to die of dementia
April 26 – A new dementia study has been launched to investigate how to reduce risk of the disease in ex-players.
Feyenoord shelve plans for new stadium to focus on football
April 28 – Feyenoord have dropped plans to build a new stadium on the banks of the Meuse over spiralling costs.