Poland drop Rybus from World Cup squad for signing for Spartak Moscow
June 21 – A Polish international defender is being omitted from his country’s World Cup squad as punishment for joining Russian club Spartak Moscow.
World Football
Germans back Ceferin for third term as UEFA president
June 21 – The German FA (DFB) has thrown its weight behind the re-election of Slovenian Aleksander Ceferin as UEFA boss, citing his leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic as well as Nyon’s opposition against plans for a European Super League.
Trial date changes prompt Giggs to give up chance of managing Wales at Qatar 2022
June 21 – Ryan Giggs has formally quit as coach of the Welsh national team even though he has been on the sidelines for several months.
UEFA hosts 8-team Unity Euro Cup for refugees
June 21 – Alongside the the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), UEFA is staging a new European tournament for refugees, the UNITY EURO Cup.
Belgian Pro League agrees cut to 16-team top tier but doubles size of second division
June 20 – The Belgian top flight will be downsized from 18 to 16 clubs in the 2023-24 season, the Pro League decided at a general assembly. The second division however will double in size from eight to 16 clubs, including U-23 teams.
Al-Khelaifi changing room outburst after PSG loss to Real Madrid to go unpunished
June 20 – UEFA have cleared their own executive committee member Nasser al-Khelaifi (pictured) of any wrongdoing despite finding his club Paris Saint-Germain guilty of misconduct for confrontations with match officials after being knocked out of this season’s Champions League.
Tebas warns that FFP-beating ‘state-owned’ clubs are a clear danger to Europe’s club game
By Andrew Warshaw
June 17 – Spanish football boss Javier Tebas (pictured) has lashed out yet again at what he describes as cash-rich “state-owned” clubs endangering the entire landscape of elite football competition.
Ex-Russian captain Igor Denisov breaks ranks to call Ukraine war ‘a complete horror’
June 17 – The former captain of Russia’s national team has taken the bold and courageous step of publicly condemning Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, risking the wrath of the Kremlin and potentially a lengthy jail term.
ECA launches Ukraine relief fund with UEFA Foundation support
June 17 – The European Club Association and the UEFA Foundation for Children are inviting clubs to apply for a €25,000 and €50,000 grant to support efforts with humanitarian initiatives to assist the Ukrainian people.
Egypt fire Galal after just three matches
June 17 – Ehab Galal has been dismissed as the head coach of the Egyptian national team after just three matches in charge, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) have confirmed.
Concacaf challengers rattle the Canada, Mexico, US triumvirate in Nations League
June 16 – Accepted natural order is that in Concacaf Mexico and the USA dominate, newly re-emerged Canada are now neck and neck with them, and Costa Rica lead the Central American challenge.
LaLiga files new complaint at UEFA against PSG for breaking fair play rules
June 15 – LaLiga’s war on what it sees as state-owned clubs financially unbalancing the European club eco-system has been taken a step further with the Spanish League filing acomplaint with UEFA against PSG who LaLiga maintains is “in continuous breach of the current financial fair play rules”.
Spanish women agree equal ‘percentage’ bonus deal to men’s team with RFEF
June 15 – In the build-up to the Women’s Euro 2022, the Spanish FA (RFEF) have announced that the men’s and women’s national teams will receive the same percentage of the prize money distributed by UEFA and FIFA at major finals.
Girondins fall foul of French financial police and relegated to third tier
June 15 – Girondins de Bordeaux have been relegated to the French third division because of financial problems following a decision by French football’s financial watchdog the DNCG.
Conmebol hammers FIFA’s Wenger over his European view of the world
June 16 – Conmebol has slammed FIFA’s chief of global development Arsene Wenger for suggesting Africa’s infrastructure is inadequate for developing talent and that Europe is the only continent where rising stars can reach full potential.