Beko and Barca fatten UNICEF coffers by €1m with #EatLikeaPro fundraiser
May 15 – Home appliances brand Beko has used its Barcelona sponsorship partnership to raise €1 million for UNICEF to help tackle childhood obesity.
Gold Cup 2025
Houston we don’t have a problem. Gold Cup delivers a Central American football feast
Honduras 2 – El Salvador 0
June 21 – A piece of Central America proudly and unashamedly parked itself in Space City tonight. The Shell Energy Stadium in Houston has frequently staged Gold Cup nights of passion and community. This Saturday is was extra special.
Photoshoot bombed as CAS extends doping ban to rule Guerrero out of World Cup
May 15 – Peru’s joy has quickly turned to disappointment after captain Paolo Guerrero was ruled out of the World Cup after his doping ban, which had just expired, was increased from six to 14 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Violence, rioting and HFF ‘won wager’ as PAOK vs AEK Cup final ends in chaos
By Andrew Warshaw and Paul Nicholson
May 14 – Despite the Greek authorities going to extraordinary lengths to maintain order by flying in a Spanish referee to take charge of last weekend’s domestic cup final, a season of unprecedented turmoil was capped by yet more trouble – on and off the pitch.
Saudis replace ref at last minute for King’s Cup final over matchfixing suspicions
By Samindra Kunti
May 14 – A World Cup-bound referee who is one of Asian football’s most experienced officials has been placed under investigation in Saudi Arabia after being removed from handling last weekend’s Saudi cup final.
FA budgets £16m spending on Wembley as revenue drops to £351.2m
By David Owen
May 14 – The Football Association is budgeting £16 million of capital expenditure on Wembley – the world famous stadium which might soon be sold to Shahid Khan, owner of Fulham and the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL) – in 2018.
Region splits on political lines as Saudis lead formation of SWAFF ‘sub-confederation’
By Samindra Kunti in Jeddah
May 14 – The political splits in the middle east between Qatar, Iran and their neighbours looks to be spilling over into football in a more formal basis with the creation at the weekend of the South West Asian Football Federation (SWAFF).
UEFA feels wrath of Liverpool over Kiev and the CL festival of money-grabbing
May 14 – UEFA’s decision to stage next week’s Champions League final in Kiev “needs explaining” according to Liverpool’s head of club and supporter liaison.
Concacaf reschedule abandoned Women’s U17 Chmapionship for June in Florida
May 14 – The Women’s U17 Concacaf Championship that was abandoned last month in Nicaragua after three matches due to civil unrest and security concerns in the country, will resume in June in the US.
Suspended VP Foullah accuses Chadian FA of £1m embezzlement
May 14 – Chadian football is in turmoil as the first vice-president of the Chadian Football Federation (FTFA), Ibrahim Foullah accused the country’s governing body of embezzling over CFA780 million (£1.05 million).
Fuelling nationalistic flames: Beitar play the Trump card with renaming
By Andrew Warshaw
May 14 – Israel’s most right-wing club has taken its ethos to unpredecented new levels of nationalistic pride by officially adding the word Trump to its name following the US president’s decision to relocate his embassy in the country to the divided city.
Peru pick Guerrero for Russian duty though WADA pressures to CAS to keep him at home
May 14 – Peru’s football federation have confirmed captain Paolo Guerrero has been selected in the team’s World Cup squad despite an appeal by anti-doping authorities to have his ban for a positive test increased.
Nike locks out all 16 Chinese Super League clubs in $470m 10-year deal
May 12 – The Chinese Super League (CSL) has extended its kit partnership with Nike for a further 10 years – starting in June 2019 and taking them through to 2029.
Greek tragedy adds a farcical chapter as Spanish ref in the firing line for cup final
By Paul Nicholson
May 11 – At the end of a season of unprecedented turmoil and allegations of corruption that have pointed to matchfixing and match manipulation within the highest administrative levels of the Greek game, the Hellenic Football Federation (HFF) have finally decided to fly in a non-Greek referee for the final match of its season.
Russia and Argentina take measures to keep the Barras Bravas out of 2018 World Cup stadia
By Samindra Kunti
May 11 – The Argentine government will sign an agreement Russia to prevent more than 3,000 Argentine hooligans from entering Russia and the host venues this summer during the World Cup.
FIFPro suspicion as Infantino’s $25bn cash plan offers big clubs a bi-annual $1.5bn feast
May 11 – The international players union FIFPro is the latest organisation to express their opposition to Gianni Infantino’s ambitious plans to change the landscape of world football with two new competitions, a revamped Club World Cup and a new FIFA Nations League.