West Ham United have been formally charged by UEFA in response to the behavior of their fans during the Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina.
The incident occurred when Fiorentina’s captain, Cristiano Biraghi, was struck on the head by a plastic cup thrown from the section occupied by West Ham supporters while he was preparing to take a corner in the first half.
West Ham fans were throwing objects onto the pitch and caught Fiorentina captain Cristiano Biraghi. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/KJZb2DMATL
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) June 7, 2023
In addition to this charge, West Ham is also facing accusations of field invasion.
Fiorentina, on the other hand, has received two charges relating to the ignition of fireworks and throwing objects.
The UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) will be responsible for reviewing the case and making a decision in the near future.
UEFA has charged Roma coach Jose Mourinho for using insulting or abusive language towards an official during the Europa League final on Wednesday.
The 60-year-old Portuguese manager received a booking from English referee Anthony Taylor during the match in Budapest, where Sevilla defeated Mourinho’s Roma team on penalties following a 1-1 draw.
Following the contentious game, Mourinho was captured in a car park engaging in a foul-mouthed rant towards Taylor.
Additionally, both Roma and Sevilla face multiple charges regarding the conduct of their fans and players, including the throwing of objects, lighting fireworks, and improper team conduct.
Sevilla have an additional charge for invasion of the field of play, while Roma have also been charged with acts of damage and crowd disturbances.
Uefa’s control, ethics and disciplinary body (CEDB) will decide on the matter in due course.
What did Mourinho do?
Mourinho criticised Taylor in his news conference and he was later captured in the car park under the stadium, ranting and making pointed comments as the Englishman and other officials were boarding a minibus.
The former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham boss repeatedly swore and twice shouted about a “disgrace”, before talking further in Italian.
Uefa’s chief refereeing officer Roberto Rosetti attempted to calm the situation down.
Taylor and his family were then shouted at by angry fans in Budapest Airport.
During the game, Taylor was repeatedly called to the benches to take action as fourth official Michael Oliver struggled to keep control.
Taylor issued yellow cards to 13 players, the most bookings in a Europa League game.
Seven of them were to Roma players, which was a record for a final.
Delays and injuries saw more than 25 minutes of injury time played across the four halves of the game, which went to extra time and then a shootout.
Airport abuse described as ‘abhorrent’ and ‘unacceptable’
Referees’ body PGMOL said it was appalled by the “unjustified and abhorrent” abuse towards Taylor, seen in a video shared on social media.
The Manchester-based official, 44, and his family were accosted as they were escorted through the airport. Scuffles then broke out as they disappeared through a secure door, while a chair was thrown.
Budapest airport officials said an Italian citizen involved in the incident had been charged with affray.
A Budapest Airport statement read: “Fans of the losing Roma team recognised the referee in the food court of the airport, where he was waiting for his flight to depart.
“Thanks to the airport operator’s close co-operation with the police and the increased police presence at the airport during the arrival and departure of the fans, the authorities intervened immediately, and the referee was escorted to a lounge and boarded his flight safely, accompanied by police officers.
“The Italian citizen involved in the incident was apprehended by the police and criminal proceedings have been initiated on charges of affray.”
PGMOL said in a statement: “[We are] aware of videos circulating on social media showing Anthony Taylor and his family being harassed and abused at Budapest Airport.
“We are appalled at the unjustified and abhorrent abuse directed at Anthony and his family as he tries to make his way home from refereeing the Uefa Europa League final.
“We will continue to provide our full support to Anthony and his family.”
The Premier League said it was “shocked and appalled by the unacceptable abuse” directed at Taylor and his family.
A spokesperson added: “No-one should have to suffer the inexcusable behaviour they had to endure.
“Anthony is one of our most experienced and accomplished match officials and we fully support him and his family.”
West Ham manager David Moyes, whose side play Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday in Prague, said: “All referees have a really difficult job and shouldn’t be put through any difficult situations. That’s not correct.”
Arne Slot, the manager of Feyenoord, and Jose Mourinho were involved in a misunderstanding on April 20 after Mourinho’s AS Roma team eliminated Feyenoord from the Europa League.
As Mourinho seeks a second Europa League championship, Roma defeated the Netherlands team in extra time to go to the semifinals.
Paulo Dybala’s goal forced extra time, where the Giallorossi added two more goals to further humiliate Feyenoord, saving them from elimination with just two minutes remaining.
The two sides met in the final of the inaugural UEFA Conference League last year, where a Nicolo Zaniolo strike ensured Mourinho continued with his impeccable record in cup finals.
Feyenoord had hoped to exact their revenge over Roma this year, only for Mourinho to better them once again. Before the game, Slot had indicated that he prefers to watch Napoli or Manchester City games compared to Roma’s games.
The comment did not go down well with Mourinho, who is seen in video footage chasing down Slot in the tunnel, demanding to be respected.
“You look at Napoli and Manchester City, but you should be watching us!”
Mourinho will now meet one of his former players when they take on Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen in the semifinals. The winner of that tie will play the winner of Sevilla vs Juventus in the final.
Mourinho’s Roma emerged victorious on April 20 thanks to a comprehensive 4-1 victory, albeit via extra time.
It almost looked like Feyenoord had found a late winner in the 80th minute through Igor Paixao, but Paolo Dybala forced the game into extra time with a strike in the dying minutes of the game.
The UEFA summit slated for Monday, to solicit expert input into crucial topics such as the VAR and handball will host a star-studded panel of Europe-based legends. They will be urged to “protect the game of football”.
The 24-member UEFA football board now includes famous ex-players Paolo Maldini, Luis Figo, Gareth Bale, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Laudrup, Philipp Lahm, and Robbie Keane in addition to coaches Jose Mourinho, Fabio Capello, Zinedine Zidane, Carlo Ancelotti, and Fabio Capello.
There is one non-European on the board, with Inter’s Argentine vice-president Javier Zanetti joining a throng that also includes former Germany team-mates Rudi Voller and Jurgen Klinsmann, plus Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman, Rafael Benitez, Patrick Vieira and Eric Abidal.
The noticeably all-male board will hold its first meeting at UEFA’s European House of Football headquarters on Monday.
European football’s governing body said the group will “give an institutional yet independent voice of experience and expertise on fundamental football-related topics”.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said: “UEFA is delighted to see that the very ones who have shaped the game’s history with their talents and philosophy through decades are gathered again around our common goal – to protect the game of football and its essential values. As we always say: football first!”
“No one understands it any more,” Ceferin said. “So we really need a conversation here, finding solutions and clarifying some issues.”
He said that would be an issue for the football board to look at, and it was confirmed on Thursday as being on the agenda for the meeting, along with discussions about the video assistant referee system, player behaviour and medical issues.
UEFA said its technical director and chief of football Zvonimir Boban would chair Monday’s meeting, although he is not a member of the new board.
⚽ A stellar line-up of players, former stars and elite coaches will assemble at UEFA HQ on Monday for the inaugural meeting of the UEFA Football Board.
Find out who is involved and what will they discuss: ⬇️
UEFA football board members: Jose Mourinho (Portugal), Carlo Ancelotti (Italy), Zinedine Zidane (France), Paolo Maldini (Italy), Fabio Capello (Italy), Javier Zanetti (Argentina), Luis Figo (Portugal), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Ronald Koeman (Netherlands), Gareth Southgate (England), Rio Ferdinand (England), Michael Laudrup (Denmark), Rafael Benitez (Spain), Roberto Martinez (Spain) Predrag Mijatovic (Montenegro), Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany), Rudi Voller (Germany), Petr Cech (Czech Republic), Juan Mata (Spain), Robbie Keane (Republic of Ireland), Patrick Vieira (France), Henrik Larsson (Sweden), Eric Abidal (France), Gareth Bale (Wales).
Following Karim Benzema’s injury, Real Madrid’s victory over Chelsea in the UEFA Champions Leaguehas come at a significant cost to the Spanish powerhouses.
After an easy 4-0 aggregate victory over Frank Lampard’s team, Los Blancos eliminated the Blues from the Champions League quarterfinals for the second consecutive year.
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has reportedly acknowledged that he replaced Benzema in Tuesday’s 2-0 victory at Chelsea because the French forward sustained an injury.
“Karim had a blow, a stomp on his foot, it started to bother him at the end and we changed him.”
Benzema has been a thorn in Real Madrid’s side this season, picking up various knocks in a hectic campaign which has seen him already miss 13 games due to injury.
Chelsea mascot excited to meet Benzema
Meanwhile, Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema was quick to meet an outstretched hand of an excited Chelsea mascot with his own before their Champions League game at Stamford Bridge, Daily Starreports.
A huge smile spread across the face of the youngster before a delighted shocked face that looked like disbelief after Benzema had shook his hands
Benzema’s gesture towards the mascot has provided a heartwarming reaction across England following the backlash Arsenal stars faced after refusing to talk to the mascots in their Premier League game against West Ham.
Chelsea crash out of Champions League
Earlier, it wasreported Chelsea were beaten 2-0 by Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge as poor finishing cost them any chance of turning the quarter-final first-leg result around.
A brace from Brazilian sensation, Rodrygo de Goes dumped the West Londoners out of the Champions League, compounding what has been a catastrophic campaign, to say the least.
Wednesday night’s result means the Londoners’ woes in front of the goal continue unabated, scoring just once in fourgames under Frank Lampard.
The former Chelsea player was asked by Nigerian journalist Lolade Adewuyi whether he would consider coaching the Black Stars in the future, but he declined.
Adewuyi said in a tweet that he spoke with Essien during a layover in Denmark.
Essien, a holder of two UEFA coaching certifications, is now the head coach of FC Nordsjaelland in the Danish Superliga.
“On my way to Naples, had a long layover in Denmark where I met a legend of the game, Michael Essien.
He’s now a coach at FC Nordsjaelland in the Danish Superliga. He recently got his UEFA A and UEFA Elite Youth Coach licenses.
Future Black Stars coach? He said not interested,” Adewuyi’s tweet accompanied by a photo of himself and Essien read.
Essien belongs to a Golden Generation of Black Stars players that qualified Ghana to her first World Cup in 2006 in Germany.
One of his contemporaries Laryea Kingston is into coaching (currently with the U-17) along with his big brother Richard who is currently a goalkeeper’s trainer for the Black Stars.
The skipper during Essien’s time with the team, Stephen Appiah recently commented on former players having to aspire to management of the sports.
After hanging up his boots, former Ghanaian footballer Kwadwo Asamoah has teamed up with prominent agent Oliver Arthur to set up an academy and construct a small stadium in Accra.
After a respectable playing career in which he made 279 appearances in the Serie A and made 250 starts, Asamoah decided to retire from professional football.
He won 13 trophies overall.
Over the course of the period, he contributed 24 assists in addition to his 12 goals.
The 34-year-old holds the record as an African player with the most appearances in the Italian Serie A while playing for Udinese, Juventus, Inter Milan, and Cagliari.
The versatile footballer also made 32 UEFA Champions League and 16 Europa League appearances together with 17 Coppa Italia matches.
Asamoah joined Juventus in June 2012 for 18 million Euros, a fee that was widely regarded as a big one during that time, making him one of the most expensive African players.
Asamoah played 71 times for the Ghana national team, where he scored four goals since making his Black Stars debut on February 11, 2009.
Arthur posted on his Twitter page after sharing photos of the academy project:
“The dream is big, and we are committed to making it a reality. Most importantly, the impact would be massive.
Having started his career at lower-tier club Asokwa Deportivo before moving to Liberty Professionals and then to Italy where he spent majority of his career, Asamoah knows how it is to realise your dream through projects like an academy.
The respected player aims at using his connections to impact the life of the youth who dreams of playing football at the highest level.
At a press conference on Monday, Barcelona president Laporta defended his team against claims that they gave money to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former vice-president of the referee technical committee.
While prosecutors in Spain pursue accusations for alleged corruption, UEFA is looking into the Blaugrana.
Barca is charged with paying more than €7 million to a Negreira-owned company.
Laporta opted to turn the spotlight on Madrid when claiming his club have no case to answer, suggesting Real have “historically and currently” been favoured by arbitration decisions, attaching it to former Spanish dictator Francisco Franco.
That led Los Blancos to respond with an extraordinary and lengthy video which was broadcast on social media and Real Madrid TV, detailing Barcelona’s links to Franco.
The video initially asked “which is the team of the regime?” in clear response to Laporta’s comments before compiling its case.
“The Camp Nou was inaugurated by Franco’s general minister, Jose Solis Ruiz,” the video stated.
The video also pointed out Barcelona’s success in comparison to Madrid during the initial Franco era, 1939 until his death in 1975, along with that his administration helped save the club from bankruptcy three times.
Blaugrana head Laporta has also asserted that Barca is the target of retaliation owing to their backing for the Super League plans that failed and sought to usurp UEFA’s authority.
Regarding Barca’s alleged wrongdoing, he continued, “Nothing is accidental. When Barca starts to emerge from a tunnel, this campaign starts. We have financially rescued Barça. As competitors, we are doing well.
I see a very good reason for trying to sportly undermine us here. We must therefore be more unified than ever.
Coincidentally, the campaign also goes off the rails when FCB refuses to sign the contract with CVC.
We do not yield to their desires. For Barca’s financial interests, we prefer other, much better alternatives. It is clear that this is not an accident.
Legal proceedings are underway, while Barca face the threat of sanctions from domestic and European governing bodies.
There have been suggestions that they could be barred from competing in the 2023-24 Champions League, but Laporta believes that the efforts of La Liga president Javier Tebas to tarnish Barca’s reputation will come to nothing.
Laporta has said: “If I have spoken of Tebas it has been because, as president of the LFP, he is behaving absolutely irresponsibly.
He says that Barca had recognised that these services did not exist and that is not the case.
Thanks to the compliance work, from 2014 to 2018. Mr. Tebas tried to get UEFA to participate in this public lynching.
“Initially, Mr. Ceferin made some statements, but now he is acting prudently. So far, Ceferin has not fallen into Mr. Tebas’s trap.
I think that throughout the history of football there have been real scandals. Here a false hypothesis is validated.
From the inputs I have, UEFA understands that this is in a judicial process. I understand that it will be pronounced when there is a trial. We will carry on as normal.”
Blaugrana supremo Laporta has also claimed that Barca are being targeted due to their support for the failed Super League plans that threatened to wrestle power away from UEFA.
He added on the allegations made against Barca: “Nothing is accidental. This campaign comes when Barca begins to come out of a tunnel. We have saved Barça financially. We are competing well too.
I see here a clear reason to try to destabilise us sportingly. That is why we have to be more united than ever.
“Coincidentally, the campaign also explodes when FCB does not sign the agreement with CVC. We do not bow to their interests.
This campaign also occurs when Barca is working for a new European competition format.
They are trying to get UEFA to join this public lynching. It is no coincidence. This campaign is gaining momentum just as FCB awards the Camp Nou works to an international company.
All these coincidences explain why. This added to what I have been explaining before.”
Formerly, Shakhtar Donetsk’s goals were limited to winning awards, but now the illustrious Ukrainian football club has loftier goals, like funding medical care for injured soldiers abroad and helping orphans find new homes.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the club, one of only two Ukrainian teams to win a European club championship after winning the 2009 UEFA Cup, has spent all available funds through its foundation Shakhtar Social.
They paid 100,000 euros ($110,000) each to send five seriously injured soldiers to hospitals in Israel, the US, and Spain for medical care.
“You cannot imagine what injuries they have,” Shakhtar CEO Sergey Palkin told AFP in a phone interview.
“Two of them are paralysed, others suffered catastrophic wounds in a rocket detonation.
“It is very difficult to control one’s emotions when one sees them.
“We want to give them a chance of a normal life. These hospitals have very sophisticated procedures.
“The families cannot sustain those expenses and the government has no capability to provide this financial help so we are taking care of them.”
Children have suffered too amid the death and destruction. Some have been killed, some have been left as orphans and others have been forcibly taken to Russia.
“We have looked after 31 children, who lost their parents due to the war and we have found them 17 families,” said Palkin.
“We provide living expenses, medical treatments, iPads and try to normalise the situation from a psychological point of view.
“These children have been left traumatised by the violent loss of their parents.”
His father-in-law Ivan Petrenko was killed in action in the Donbas in May last year.
“The guys who were with him saw him die,” Petryak told AFP.
“For us as a family it is the worst situation as we cannot find the body and we cannot make the funeral to say goodbye.
“This is the worst for us as we do not know what to do as we have no information about him.”
‘Bit of a circus’
Shakhtar have bitter experience of what it is like to be displaced. The club hosted matches in the 2012 European Championship but two years later they were on the move after the Russians seized Crimea.
They played in Kyiv before the war and are now in Lviv.
Little did they realise they would play host to more refugees from the Donbas region eight years later as the Russian army swept in once again.
“We accepted more than 2,000 refugees from the eastern part of Ukraine,” said Palkin.
“We provide food, medical treatment, including psychological treatment, helping people to concentrate on what they should do regarding their next steps.
“Many lost houses, apartments, their passports and personal documents.”
Petryak says he cannot envisage a scenario where he takes to a pitch in the future against a Russian team — “they are like zombies” he says of the Russian players and their support of President Vladimir Putin.
Equally he is dumbfounded that IOC President Thomas Bach has left the door open for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the Olympics in Paris next year.
“The situation is not possible,” he said.
“Bach is very wrong. Every day they kill our children, people, athletes.
“More than 200 athletes have been killed and he wants to say Russia and Belarus are allowed at the Olympic Games. How is it possible?
“It is unbelievable. For me it is a bit of a circus.”
Petryak says he understands why the vast majority of foreign players went out on loan once the conflict took hold.
He is extremely proud though that despite losing a huge amount of Brazilian talent, the club still finished third in their Champions League group and reached the last 16 of the Europa League this season.
“Some athletes have taken up the gun,” he said.
“My team, we support the country with money and we can give more from this side.
“I am not criticising those who took up the gun but we feel the better we play, the more money we can send to the the army and other athletes.
If rumours are to be believed, Emile Witbooi may get a substantial boost.
Despite the side being thrashed by the hosts (5-0), Northern Ireland (2-1), and Luxembourg (3-2), the under-16 national team player excelled in the recent UEFA Development Tournament hosted in Poland.
Witbooi, a student at the School of Excellence, is the son of Mamelodi Sundowns magician Surprise Ralani.
According to iDiski Times, the 15-year-old, nicknamed Modric after the Croatian legend, reportedly caught the eye of Manchester United and other teams in Europe.
The article also stated he was not the only player who impressed the scouts that were in attendance.
U16 coach, Zipho Dlangalala, who had the unenviable task of hastily arranging the team at the last second, said:
“Without a doubt, we had some of the players that really put up their hands in the event, and the UEFA Technical observers mentioned four of our players that stood out… [Witbooi] like most South African kids that are talented, very skillful and creative… I would wish as a country we need to give them special treatment.”
Should Witbooi join the club, he would be the third South African to play for the Red Devils at any level after legendary goalkeeper, Gary Bailey and former Bafana Bafana midfielder, Quinton Fortune.
The latter is currently an ambassador for the club, having also been its U23 coach, before moving on to Reading.
Song named after Benni McCarthy
Talking of South Africans at Old Trafford, Benni McCarthy continues to prove an inspiration to his countrymen, Sports Brief reported.
Hip-hop artists, YoungstaCPT and Shaney Jay releasing a single named after the Red Devils senior team’s forwards coach earlier this year.
This is the second song where McCarthy is the subject, following TKZee’s late 1990s hit ‘Shibobo’ and now has an accompanying video.
Aleksander Ceferin, president of UEFA, referred to the Barcelona refereeing scandal as one of the “most serious” cases he had ever seen.
A UEFA investigation into alleged payments made to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former vice-president of the Spanish refereeing committee, is ongoing against the LaLiga leaders.
The newspaper El Pais reported that Negreira’s company, DASNIL 95 SL, produced written reports and DVD assessments of referees for the club prior to games. It has been claimed that the total payments from Barcelona exceeded €7 million, spanning the years 2001 to 2018.
Barcelona maintain their innocence as prosecutors pursue charges against the Catalan side for alleged corruption, though LaLiga president Javier Tebas admitted the league is unable to sanction the club due to a statute of limitations in place.
However, Ceferin confirmed no such restrictions exist for UEFA and spoke about the significance of the allegations.
“The situation is extremely serious. It is so serious that, in my opinion, it is one of the most serious [situations] in football that I have ever seen,” he told Slovenian newspaper Ekipa.
“I cannot comment directly on this for two reasons. Firstly, because we have an independent disciplinary committee in charge of this. And secondly, because I have not dealt with this matter in detail.
“At the level of [LaLiga], of course, the matter is time-barred and can have no competitive consequences,but the proceedings are ongoing at the level of prosecutors. But as far as UEFA is concerned, there is nothing time-barred.”
In his first two windows as a new co-owner, Todd Boehly developed the same habit, spending about £600 million.
The club boasts one of the best academies in the world, but its players were perpetually frustrated by being loaned out; this situation briefly stopped when the Blues were slapped with a transfer ban in the 2019–20 season.
Club legend Frank Lampard returned to the team as manager and filled the voids with players from the club’s academy.
He made debuts for eight graduates, including Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori, Mason Mount, and Reece James.
Lampard left midway through the second season and was replaced by Thomas Tuchel.
Abraham then left for AS Roma due to a lack of playing time for £34 million, as reported by BBC Sports.
Abraham hints at EPL return
In his first season in Rome, Abraham scored 19 goals and provided five assists in all competitions, helping Jose Mourinho’s side win the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League.
He has since grown frustrated due to a lack of playing time and increased competition by the presences of Paulo Dybala, Andrea Belotti, and Eduardo Bove.
According to Sky Italia, Manchester United and Aston Villa are interested in bringing Abraham back to England, with Chelsea also considering activating his €80 mil release clause.
His recent interview suggests he could be open to a return to English football.
“In football, never say never. Right now, my goal and my attention is on Roma: we want to finish the season well.
I haven’t even started thinking about anything other than just being here and doing my best,” he told FourFourTwo, as quoted by Football Italia.
“I wouldn’t say there are any loose ends in England; I’m in no rush. Maybe I’ll stay at Roma for the next ten years, or maybe not.
You never know what’s around the corner,” he added.
Arsenal interested in Abraham
Sports Brief also reported that Arsenal are interested in bringing Abraham back to England and could make a move this summer for the London-born striker.Roma will demand a fee of €80 mil and interested clubs would have to contend with Chelsea, who have a clause that would be active by the end of the season.
Ronaldo quit Manchester United in January to join Al-Nassr after a contentious interview with Piers Morgan in which he disparaged various aspects of Manchester United.
The 38-year-old was thinking about returning to the Santiago Bernabeu, where he amassed 450 goals in 438 games to break the club goal scoring record.
Ronaldo’s desired return to Spain, however, did not occur because Ancelotti preferred to stick with Karim Benzema as his lone striker, according to Spanish newspaper El Nacional.
Considering the strong relationship the five-time Ballon d’Or winner had with the Italian manager between 2013 and 2015, the Portuguese considered it a betrayal, according to the report.
Ronaldo went on to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr as a free agent and has since scored nine goals and provided two assists in 10 matches for the club.
Perez says no to Ronaldo
Meanwhile, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez also ruled out a move to sign Ronaldo.
When asked by fans if he plans to make a bid for the legendary forward, whose contract was ripped apart at Old Trafford, Perez replied: “Sign Cristiano? Again? He’s 38 years old”, getting the age of the striker wrong.
Ronaldo’s sister slams Perez
Sports Brief also reported that Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister has slammed Real Madrid president Florentino Perez for laughing at the possibility of bringing him back to the Santiago Bernabeu.
After theUEFA Super Cup game between Real Madrid and Frankfurt in Helsinki, Perez was asked by a fan about a potential return for the 37-year-old.
When Jose Mourinho was dismissed for the third time this season during a Serie A match against Cremonese on February 28, it made headlines.
Mourinho frequently makes headlines, but this time he was enraged at fourth official Marco Serra, whom he charged with being biassed against AS Roma’s upcoming opponents.
Serra is a native of Turin, and Roma was to play Juventus right after. Mourinho was later given a two-game suspension, but he was still eligible for a match against Juventus.
With regard to Serra, The Special One had vowed to use the legal system.
Serra to officiate Serie B
In a new interesting development, Serra has now been demoted to Serie B, with the 40-year-old now set to officiate the upcoming match between Venezia and Como.
Romapress reports that it is unknown whether he will be officiating in the second tier henceforth or if it is just a temporary measure.
It is also unknown whether his clash with Mourinho had anything to do with his perceived demotion.
The Special One has never been shy to square up with referees and before the Cremonese red card, he had already been sent off in games against Atalanta and Torino.
Roma resume their push for Champions League football this weekend with a home game against Sampdoria.
Mourinho’s contract situation
Sports Brief previously reported that in his first season in charge, Mourinho won the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League with Roma, having finished seventh in Serie A the season before.
The Special One is approaching the final year of his deal in Rome and is still courting interest from top European clubs, including Chelsea and Real Madrid, as well as the Brazilian national team.
Mourinho has received limited backing from the Roma hierarchy in the transfer market, spending only €9 million despite winning a trophy and qualifying for Europa League in his first season.
UEFA, Europe’s governing body, wants to punish Barcelona by barring them from the Champions League for an indefinite period of time.
From 2001 to 2018, Barcelona is accused of making payments totaling more than €7 million to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, former vice president of the Spanish Technical Committee of Referees.
According to Forbes, if Barcelona is found guilty of the allegations, UEFA will request a multi-year ban from European competitions such as the Champions League.
UEFA’s Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectors have been appointed to conduct an investigation into Barcelona’s possible violation of UEFA’s legal framework in connection with the so-called ‘Caso Negreira.’
Barcelona through its president Joan Laporta has since denied the club broke any laws and insisted all payments were made legally for consultation services carried out by Negreira.
Barcelona worried about UEFA ban Meanwhile, officials at Barcelona are worried about being banned from UEFA competitions after the European football governing body opened an investigation into the club.
The Catalans believed they could be sanctioned by UEFA which automatically means a ban from the Champions League for at least one season if they are found guilty.
Barcelona, on the other hand, is unconcerned about the Spanish justice system or the prosecutor’s office, believing that no crimes were committed in the ‘Negreira case.
Barcelona could be relegated to second division
It was reported that Barcelona could be sent to the Spanish second division of Spanish football in the wake of the corruption charges the club faces over paying officials.
Spanish prosecutors have charged Barcelona with corruption over payments the club made to a former vice president of Spain’s referees’ Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira.
The Catalan giants had paid the company of Enrique Negreira £7.4m between 2001 and 2018, which has caused much resentment within La Liga teams.
Court documents indicate that,Barcelona paid €7.3m (£6.5m) to the company of Jose Mara Enriquez Negreira, the former vice-president of Spanish football’s refereeing committee, from 2001 to 2018.
UEFA’s investigation could result in a Champions League ban.
Because of payments of millions of euros to a company linked to a Spanish refereeing official, Barcelona is facing a new legal threat from UEFA, including a possible Champions League ban.
On Thursday, the European Union’s governing body requested an investigation into the matter, which is already being investigated by Spanish prosecutors.
Since April 2007, Champions League regulations have allowed UEFA to ban teams from the competition for one season if they were involved in match fixing.
UEFA said on Thursday it asked disciplinary inspectors to “conduct an investigation regarding a potential violation of UEFA’s legal framework by FC Barcelona in connection with the so-called Caso Negreira.”
Court documents show Barcelona paid €7.3m (£6.5m) from 2001 until 2018 to the company of Jose Mara Enriquez Negreira, the former vice-president of Spanish football’s refereeing committee.
Prosecutors in Spain have formally accused Barcelona of corruption in sports, fraudulent management and falsification of business documents.
An investigating judge will decide if this will lead to charges.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s weekend trip to Spain to watch El Clasico may have been the deciding factor in his departure from Chelsea.
The striker, who signed with Chelsea in the summer, has had a difficult few months since Thomas Tuchel, the manager who signed him, was fired and replaced by Graham Potter.
He was still playing for the club because of a FIFA rule that states players are only allowed to represent two clubs during a given season.
Although a gap in the law that might have allowed him to sign with MLS teams was discovered, the Gabonese man decided against joining LA Galaxy in February.
Chelsea could terminate Aubameyang’s contract
As reported by Express, the former Arsenal striker’s omission from the UEFA Champions League squad summed up his disastrous time at Chelsea, and he is yet to feature.
His recent trip to Spain and his appearance in Barcelona’s dressing room has reportedly left the Chelsea’s bosses furious and willing to terminate his contract in the summer so he can move on a free transfer, as reported by Goal.
He has played 18 times for the London club scoring three goals, one in the league against Crystal Palace and two in the Champions League against his former club AC Milan, which helped the Blues progress out of the group stage.
Auba plays mini-game in Milan
The 33-year-old looks unbothered by his current situation at the club and seems to be enjoying his £260,000 per week salary happily away from the team. As Sports Brief reported, Auba was spotted playing five-aside in Milan while wearing his Chelsea kit.
He uploaded the video on his Instagram story. The move appeared to show his nonchalance, but it was reported to have been a sanctioned break by the club for the out-of-favour striker, and he has not featured in the team since then.
PSV have imposed a 40-year stadium ban on the man who attacked Sevilla goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic during their Europa League match.
Despite winning 2-0 in the second leg of their knockout round play-off match last month at Philips Stadion after losing 3-0 in Spain, the Eredivisie club was eliminated from the competition.
However, ugly scenes marred the closing stages of the match in Eindhoven when a 20-year-old fan attacked Dmitrovic on the pitch. Dmitrovic then pinned the man before security escorted him away.
The man in question was given a two-month initial prison sentence on March 8 and will receive a one-month extension if he commits another crime.
PSV have now confirmed he will face further long-term punishment for his actions, with a stadium ban stretching until 2063.
“PSV [have] imposed a 40-year-long ban on the individual who invaded the pitch during the Europa League match against Sevilla,” the club said in a statement.
“The 40-year-long ban comes on top of a possible fine imposed by UEFA. The pitch invader is currently serving a three-month sentence with one month suspended imposed by the East Brabant District Court.
De man die tijdens PSV – Sevilla FC het veld betrad en de keeper van de Spanjaarden aanviel, is de komende veertig jaar niet welkom in het Philips Stadion.
Prior to the second leg of the last-16, video on social media showed long lines of spectators waiting to enter Estadio do Dragao.
Porto had earlier in the day stated that Inter fans with tickets for the home end, even if they were obtained through the club, would be turned away.
However, Inter asserts that a deal was reached for their supporters to attend the game as long as they wore neutral tones.
The investigation into the situation was confirmed on Wednesday by the governing body of European football, UEFA.
“UEFA had been made aware that a large contingent of visiting supporters had procured tickets in home sectors of the stadium,” a spokesperson said.
“The UEFA regulations stipulate that five per cent of the stadium capacity must be provided to the visiting team in a segregated area for their supporters.
“The responsibility for the safe and secure management of spectators and the associated ticketing policy are determined by the match organiser and the relevant authorities.
“Mitigation measures were discussed between both clubs. UEFA is currently looking into the matter.”
Inter claimed a goalless draw to advance through to theChampions League quarter-finals as 1-0 aggregate winners.
The Italian club’s chief executive Beppe Marotta dedicated the result to those who were unable to get into the ground.
“We celebrate this passage that Inter had not achieved for 12 years, we give the credit to our coach, our players and the fans who were present,” he told Sky Italia.
“I also want to spare a thought for circa a thousand fans who were left outside the stadium even after regularly purchasing a ticket.
“I saw footage of families who were locked outside, children crying who had flown here from Italy.
“Football must represent unity and joy, so this is a bitter page in what was otherwise a wonderful evening.
“We had met with the local authorities this morning and they assured us the fans would be allowed in even beyond those limits of the away section. Instead, this did not happen.
“These were for the most part families with children, who certainly weren’t here to perpetrate acts of violence, but to support their team.
“I don’t believe the situation was so serious as to ban their entry.
“We realise UEFA are not to blame, but we feel that with a formal complaint we can prevent this sort of thing ever happening again.”
Victor Osimhen of Nigeria and his teammates have been cautioned byNapoli coach Luciano Spalletti ahead of their Champions League matchup against Eintracht Frankfurt.
After defeating Germany 2-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal match, Napoli will play for pride in front of their home crowd.
Osimhen scored a goal for Napoli in the first match, and on March 15 at 8 p.m. local time, the Nigerian is expected to shine once more in Naples.
Spalletti reportedly said that his team should wait to celebrate until the second match, per the Complete Sports report.
Statement made by Spalletti “Seeing as it is practically a final, I want to see the attitude of a team that is starved and wants a result. I’ve seen them in training all term and they never let their heads drop. “Now the test is to forget what has happened in the past and focus on getting the job done now.
Don’t forget Eintracht got through a group that had Tottenham, Marseille and Sporting.
”Last year they won away to a Barcelona side that eliminated us, so we have total respect for the work Oliver Glasner is doing, we know it will be tough.”
Napoli's Victor Osimhen is recognized for being the best foreign athlete in Italy in 2022 🇳🇬 pic.twitter.com/dseJi67jZx
Osimhen flaunts diamond necklace Earlier, had reported how Nigerian striker, Victor Osimhen flaunted a multimillion Naira diamond necklace as he stepped out in style amid links with Premier League clubs this summer.
The Super Eagles star is currently the man of the moment in the Italian Serie A, where he is leading the scoring chart with 19 goals.
Osimhen has won the hearts of many Napoli fans through his performances and they are hoping the Nigerian will remain in Naples after the current season ends.
The Nigerian was seen in joyous mood while showing off his expensive piece of jewellery.
Real Madrid has criticised UEFA’s “inadequate” plan to reimburse some fans who attended the Champions League final in May, and has demanded that the governing body take responsibility for the chaos that surrounded the game.
A recent independent investigation concluded that UEFA was “primarily responsible” for the “numerous near misses that almost resulted in disaster” at the Stade de France.
French authorities initially placed the blame on Liverpool fans during chaotic scenes that put fans at risk of crushes as the start time in Paris was delayed.
Only a portion of the Madrid supporters will be affected by the UEFA’s plans to refund all 19,618 Liverpool fans who purchased tickets to the championship game on Tuesday.
However, a response issued by the European champions on Thursday called on UEFA to extend the offer to all attendees, describing overall conditions at the game as “unacceptable”.
“Given the conclusiveness of the experts’ findings and the seriousness of the events described, Real Madrid has been holding talks with UEFA with the aim of assessing the compensation that will be offered to fans,” the statement read.
“Our club was entirely confident that these solutions would be in line with the seriousness of the events, the extent of the damage caused and UEFA’s responsibility for them.
“Regrettably, our club believes that UEFA’s proposal, officially announced last Tuesday, is insufficient.
“The content of the report stresses that all fans attending the final were victims of its inadequate organisation and their safety and security were compromised.
“The fact is that all the fans experienced an unacceptable delay in the start of the match. In addition, there was unacceptable insecurity both in accessing and leaving the stadium, as well as additional harm such as theft, assaults and threats.
“For this reason, Real Madrid has decided not to cooperate in the restricted compensation procedure proposed by UEFA, which we ask to redress the situation and assume full responsibility.”
Following the chaos that ruined last May’s championship game in Paris,Liverpool supporters will receive a full refund for their Champions League final tickets from UEFA.
The “large number of near misses that almost led to disaster” at the Stade de France were “primarily responsible” for, according to an independent report published last month, by UEFA.
Authorities initially placed the blame on Liverpool fans during chaotic scenes that saw police use tear gas and others crowded in perilous bottlenecks outside the stadium.
After taking responsibility for a number of administrative errors that occurred prior to Liverpool’s 1-0 loss to Real Madrid, UEFA has now decided to reimburse all 19,618 Liverpool ticket holders.
UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoridis said: “We have taken into account a huge number of views expressed both publicly and privately, and we believe we have devised a scheme that is comprehensive and fair.
“We value the input from the Liverpool FC supporter organisations Spirit of Shankly and Liverpool Disabled Supporters Association as well as the open and transparent dialogue throughout this period.
“We recognise the negative experiences of those supporters on the day and with this scheme we will refund fans who had bought tickets and who were the most affected by the difficulties in accessing the stadium.”
UEFA announces special refund scheme for fans following the 2022 Champions League Final in Paris.
We will refund fans who had bought tickets and were the most affected by the difficulties in accessing the stadium.
“This unprecedented move is the result of tireless work, alongside FSE [Football Supporters Europe] and Ian Byrne MP, to hold those responsible for the catastrophic events in Paris.
“With a promise to reimburse supporters, UEFA have gone some way to acknowledging their part in the fiasco.
“But it does not excuse UEFA, exempt them from criticism or lessen the need for them to implement all of the recommendations made by the independent inquiry.
“We will work alongside Liverpool and publish details once we know how and when refunds will be processed.”
The cost of refunding nearly 20,000 supporters is expected to be in the region of £3million (€3.4m), according to reports.
The knockout round of the 2022–23 Champions League tournament has begun, and the top teams in Europe are competing for a place in the quarterfinals.
Real Madrid advanced significantly to the round of eight with a 5-2 victory over Liverpool at Anfield, while Napoli, the undisputed Serie A champion, now leads by a score of 2-0 after defeating Eintracht Frankfurt.
To defeat Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea must overturn a 1-0 deficit, and Tottenham must do the same after losing to AC Milan.
In other matches, Bayern Munich will try to hold onto its 1-0 lead against Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg, and Benfica should eliminate Club Brugge with a two-goal cushion.
We tell you everything you need to know about the 2023 final as the teams strive to get one step closer to the prestigious continental trophy.
When is the 2023 Champions League final?
The 2023 Champions League final will take place on Saturday, June 10.
This date is later than last season’s showpiece, held on May 28, due to the change in the domestic football calendar thanks to the World Cup held last November and December in Qatar.
For supporters at the stadium, the game will kick off at 10 p.m. local time. For fans watching in the UK, the match will start at 8 p.m.
Where is the 2023 Champions League final?
Turkey will host the 2023 Champions League final, with the game held at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.
The venue was opened in 2002, initially built for the country’s attempt to host the 2008 Olympics, which was ultimately awarded to Beijing, China.
Home to the Turkish national team, it will be the second time the ground has held the Champions League final, having been the location for the epic 2005 encounter between AC Milan and Liverpool.
Istanbul had been scheduled to host the 2020 showpiece, before the coronavirus pandemic resulted in the match being played at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal.
Then in 2021, the marquee fixture was once again moved to Portugal, this time to the Estadio do Dragao in Porto.
According to UEFA, the stadium has a capacity of over 75,000 people and is named after Turkey’s first president, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
Manchester City needs a striker, and claims that Erling Haaland only scores “easy” goals are “a lie,” according to his teammate Ederson.
Since joining City from Borussia Dortmund last year, Haaland has scored 32 goals in 31 appearances across all competitions, which is more than any other player from one of the top five leagues in Europe.
In the Premier League, he has scored 26 goals, but the 22-year-old has recently come under fire as City struggles to overtake Arsenal and Manchester United in the race for the championship.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said Haaland “might have picked the wrong club,” while Arsenal great Thierry Henry speculated that Tottenham’s Harry Kane might have been a better fit for City.
However, Ederson believes Haaland is well-suited to City’s style, though he acknowledges Pep Guardiola’s men have had to adapt to his characteristics.
“When he arrived, we said he was going to score a lot—and that’s been happening.” “He is a brilliant goalscorer; he always looks to score and help the team,” Ederson told UEFA.com.
“He is the striker we needed because, in comparison to Gabriel [Jesus], they are different players.” Gabi likes to come in from out wide; he is stronger and more versatile. Haaland plays more centrally, looking to get into the box, he is a target in the area.
“That has been the major difference. When you get into the final third you have someone who will always be in the area.
“Many people say most of the goals he scores are easy—but that is a lie.” It’s his positioning—that’s his best ability. He doesn’t score easy goals, he positions himself very well.
City return to Champions League action when they visit RB Leipzig for the first leg of their last-16 tie on Wednesday, and with Haaland netting 28 times in 23 appearances in the competition throughout his career, the club hope his finishing ability will help deliver their first European crown.
Ederson is in no doubt as to the importance of continental success to City, saying: “That’s our main objective, the main objective of the club.
“We’ve been trying [to win it] and will carry on trying. We haven’t won it yet, we reached the final [in 2021], and a few semi-finals, and we didn’t come out of it with a good result.
“But I think this year, we’re more than capable of getting to the final and challenging for the title.
“Now this title is what the club needs, it’s what we athletes need and it’s what Guardiola needs here at the club, too. This year, we’re going to try. We’re going after it.”
UEFA has confirmed a minute’s silence will be held at each of this week’s European ties as a mark of respect for the victims of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
Over 33,000 people are confirmed to have died after high-magnitude earthquakes struck southern Turkey and northern Syria last Monday, and the United Nations’ aid agency on the ground says that toll is likely to double.
Turkey has said over a million people in the country are using temporary shelters after the tremors, while over five million people are estimated to have been made homeless in Syria.
Ahead of this week’s knockout-stage matches in the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League, UEFA has confirmed the details of tributes to show support for those affected.
A minute’s silence will be observed before every fixture across UEFA’s club competitions this week, while a commemorative banner featuring the message, ‘We are together with you’, will be displayed in Turkish and Arabic.
A statement released by European football’s governing body on Monday also confirmed black armbands could be worn at the discretion of teams and referees.
Last week, UEFA confirmed it would donate €150,000 to the Turkish Football Federation and an additional €50,000 to the Bonyan Organization and Tiafi, both assisting in disaster relief.
Trabzonspor are the only Turkish club in action in UEFA’s competitions this week, hosting Basel in the first leg of their Europa Conference League knockout round play-off tie.
Istanbul Basaksehir and Sivasspor advanced to the last 16 of that competition as group winners, while Fenerbahce are into the same round in the Europa League.
Hatayspor and Gaziantep, two clubs based in the region effected by the earthquake, have withdrawn from the Turkish Super Lig.
Former Chelsea, Newcastle United and Everton winger Christian Atsu, who plays for Hatayspor, is still missing.
Each of this week’s European matches will begin with a minute of silence in remembrance of those lost in the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria, according to UEFA.
The United Nations’ humanitarian organization on the ground estimates that the death toll from last Monday’s high-magnitude earthquakes that slammed southern Turkey and northern Syria will likely double from the current total of over 33,000.
In Syria, it is claimed that over five million people have been rendered homeless, while Turkey has reported that over a million people are using temporary shelters as a result of the tremors.
The Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League knockout stage matches this week will all feature tributes to the deaths, according to information released by UEFA.
A minute’s silence will be observed before every fixture across UEFA’s club competitions this week, while a commemorative banner featuring the message, ‘We are together with you’, will be displayed in Turkish and Arabic.
A statement released by European football’s governing body on Monday also confirmed black armbands could be worn at the discretion of teams and referees.
Last week, UEFA confirmed it would donate €150,000 to the Turkish Football Federation and an additional €50,000 to the Bonyan Organization and Tiafi, both assisting in disaster relief.
Trabzonspor are the only Turkish club in action in UEFA’s competitions this week, hosting Basel in the first leg of their Europa Conference League knockout round play-off tie.
Istanbul Basaksehir and Sivasspor advanced to the last 16 of that competition as group winners, while Fenerbahce are into the same round in the Europa League.
Hatayspor and Gaziantep, two clubs based in the region effected by the earthquake, have withdrawn from the Turkish Super Lig.
Former Chelsea, Newcastle United and Everton winger Christian Atsu, who plays for Hatayspor, is still missing.
Both the Nations League and the qualifiers for the European Championship and World Cup will have new formats, according to UEFA.
The Nations League underwent revisions that took effect in 2018, including the addition of a knockout round in which the League A group winners and runners-up compete in two-legged quarterfinals.
League A and League B’s third-place teams will play League B and League C’s runners-up in a two-legged promotion/relegation play-off.
With the new qualifying system, 12 groups of either four or five teams will be chosen, with the group winners qualifying and the runners-up either also qualifying or entering play-offs.
“The introduction of the UEFA Nations League was a success story, replacing friendly games with more competitive matches,” said UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.
“And now, by introducing the new knock-out phase, teams will be given even more opportunities to progress while keeping the same number of games within the international match calendar.
“The predictability of the European Qualifiers has also been addressed and tackled, with a fresh new format that will offer all the teams an equal chance to qualify for major tournaments.”
🆕 The #UEFAExCo has today approved new formats for UEFA men’s national team competitions coming into effect in September 2024.
⚽ It means more compelling UEFA #NationsLeague and European Qualifiers to boost excitement without increasing the number of matches.
After Euro 2024, the qualifying changes will take effect.
At a meeting of the executive committee on Wednesday, it was also decided to shift the Super Cup from its original host city of Kazan, Russia, to Athens, Greece, for the upcoming season.
The Champions League and Europa League championship match will take place at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in the Greek capital on August 16, according to UEFA.
Juventus has stated that they will appeal their 15-point deduction because they feel it is “a clear injustice towards millions of fans.”
An examination into the 36-time Italian champions’ prior transfer dealings led to the sanction, which was officially announced by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) on Friday.
With 20 games remaining, Juventus has dropped from third place in Serie A to tenth place and is 12 points outside of the Champions League spots.
The FIGC also imposed two-year suspensions from Italian football on the club’s former president Andrea Agnelli and former CEO Maurizio Arrivabene.
Former sporting director Fabio Paratici, who is now at Tottenham, has been given a 30-month ban.
A statement by the club’s lawyers read: “Today’s acceptance of the appeal for revocation by the Federal Court of Appeal seems to us to constitute a clear unequal treatment to the detriment of Juventus and its managers compared to any other club or registered player.
“We are waiting to carefully read the reasons for presenting the appeal before the Sports Guarantee College. However, we point out, as of now, that only Juventus and its managers are attributed the violation of a rule, which the sports justice itself had repeatedly recognised did not exist.
“We believe that this is a clear injustice also towards millions of fans, which we trust will soon be remedied in the next level of judgement.”
Turin Public Prosecutor’s Office had been seeking a nine-point deduction following a hearing earlier on Friday.
But the FIGC announced a harsher punishment after Juve were found to have used transfers to artificially boost their balance sheet.
The sanctions come on the back of chairman Agnelli and the rest of the Bianconeri’s board resigning en masse last year.
That came in the wake of an investigation being launched into financial violations during their time in charge.
A separate ruling made last year acquitted Juve and other clubs of their financial conduct within Serie A, with a case centred on player values in exchanges and transfers.
But football prosecutors reopened the case against Juve after seeking new documents collected by public prosecutors in Turin surrounding the club’s conduct.
In the result of a probe into the team’s prior transfer activities, Juventus has been docked 15 points.
Fabio Paratici, an ex-director of Juventus who is currently at Tottenham, received a two-and-a-half-year suspension from Italian football, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) announced on Friday.
The ban for Paratici includes a request for an extension to encompass UEFA and FIFA activities, which could have significant repercussions for Premier League team Spurs.
Andrea Agnelli, a former Juve executive, has also been barred from holding any positions in Italian football for the subsequent two years.
It has been widely reported the decision is likely to be appealed by Juve.
The Bianconeri had been third in Serie A, but have now dropped to 10th – 12 points off the Champions League places – as a result of the punishment.
Turin Public Prosecutor’s Office had been seeking a nine-point deduction following a hearing earlier on Friday.
But the FIGC went with a harsher punishment after Juve were found to have used transfers to artificially boost their balance sheet.
The sanction comes on the back of chairman Agnelli, vice-president Pavel Nedved and the rest of the Bianconeri’s board resigning en-masse last year.
That came in the wake of an investigation being launched into financial violations during their time in charge.
A separate ruling made last year acquitted Juve and other clubs of their financial conduct within Serie A, with a case centred on player values in exchanges and transfers.
But football prosecutors reopened the case against Juve after seeking new documents collected by public prosecutors in Turin surrounding the club’s conduct.
Juve have denied any wrongdoing, while lawyers claimed prosecutors had not brought enough in to reach the adequate threshold for a new ruling.
The 36-time Italian champions are next in action on Sunday at home to Atalanta, in what was set to be a potentially crucial clash in the race for Champions League qualification.
UEFA confirmed it received three preliminary bid dossiers to host Euro 2028 and 2032 before Wednesday’s deadline.
A joint bid from the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland was submitted for the 2028 tournament, while Turkey also threw its hat in the ring having never hosted a major tournament.
Football associations from England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland put forward a proposal and promised to organise an “unrivalled” tournament.
The bid from the English FA comes after much criticism over its handling of fan disorder at the Euro 2020 final at Wembley Stadium, with an independent review describing it as a “day of national shame”.
Turkey also bid for the 2032 edition, as well as Italy, which has not been chosen as a sole host of a major tournament since the World Cup in 1990.
The deadline for submitting final dossiers is April 12 2023, before the hosts will be chosen in the European autumn of that year.
🏆 UEFA has received three preliminary bid dossiers to host #EURO2028 and #EURO2032.
🗓️ The submission deadline of the final bid dossiers is 12 April 2023. The appointment of hosts will be made next autumn.
Barcelonawould receive a €1billion bonus for being one of the Super League’s founders, club president Joan Laporta has revealed.
Laporta also believes the competition would resemble a “much-improved Champions League”.
Nine of the Super League’s 12 founding clubs withdrew their support in the face of public and media pressure following a botched launch last year, though three clubs have advocated a revival of the competition.
Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus have all been vocal in their support for the project, with a new format reportedly being drawn up by A22 Sports’ chief executive Bernd Reichart.
Having organised a meeting with Reichart earlier this week, UEFA hit out at the “greedy plan” of the Super League’s backers, accusing them of jeopardising the future of football.
However, Laporta – who has spent his second spell as Barca president battling a financial crisis at Camp Nou – feels the competition would offer his club several benefits.
“Football can do better”, states Bernd Reichart, our new CEO. That’s why we will organize a broad dialogue with clubs, fans and all those who want to build a better home for #EuropeanClubFootball. Watch his video statement: pic.twitter.com/TbHntRy0pv
“From the outset, for the founding clubs, there is an initial bonus of €1bn, and per season, we could get about €300m annually in this competition,” Laporta told Sport.
“In addition, the key to the Super League is that the clubs will have governance. UEFA will obviously be at the governance table, but the clubs will have the majority.
“The Super League is a great opportunity. But you can only win through dialogue. What the Super League aims to do is improve football.
“It fights for the sustainability of football, so that the clubs come out of ruin, so that the clubs can be more and more competitive and have more resources.
“The Super League will end up as a much-improved Champions League, which will be based on meritocracy, that is, it will be open, without club discrimination, but with guarantees and rules that will allow clubs to have more resources.
“Super League chief executive Bernd Reichart met last Tuesday with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin in a very important step forward.”
Despite their economic troubles, Barca embarked on a significant spending spree in the last transfer window, acquiring the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Raphinha.
While the Blaugrana were criticised for gambling the club’s future after selling shares in their future television rights and in-house production company to fund those deals, Laporta says they will look for opportunities to strengthen again in January.
“The economic levers have helped to save the club from bankruptcy and to build a competitive team,” Laporta said.
“But the hole was so big that we still have an operating deficit of €200m annually, as a result mainly of the enormous expenses that we have, especially with the wage bill.
“To sign in winter, we would have to incorporate players that improve what we already have. It’s not easy, especially considering that we continue to have fair play problems due to our elimination from the Champions League, which has reduced our budgeted income.
“LaLiga has already warned us that we will have less capacity to sign. We will try to reverse it by negotiating with LaLiga to reconsider its interpretation [of the rules] and achieve new income with victories in the Europa League or the Supercopa de Espana. Even with some friendly matches during the World Cup.”
Kurt Okraku, the president of the Ghana Football Association, has remained optimistic about Nico Williams despite the player’s commitment to Spain.
Williams made two appearances against Switzerland and Portugal after receiving his first call-up to the senior Spain team ahead of this month’s UEFA Nations League matches.
Juan Cuadrado is struggling to sleep because of Juventus’ poor Champions League form, but the versatile winger is determined to at least qualify for the Europa League.
Juve were eliminated from UEFA’s primary club competition with a game to go – at home to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday – following a 4-3 loss to Benfica last week.
The Italian giants have lost four group matches for the first time in their history and are only above Group H’s bottom side Maccabi Haifa on goal difference.
Massimiliano Allegri’s men must therefore match or better the Israeli side’s result against Benfica if they are to drop into the Europa League via the backdoor.
Either way, it has been a humbling experience for the two-time European champions after missing out on the knockout stages for the first time since the 2013-14 campaign.
“We have played some good matches,” Cuadrado said ahead of facing PSG. “When you play well and don’t win, there are no questions.
“But there is time to improve further. It’s difficult to sleep when certain things happen, but they did happen. We have the strength of a good team here.
“We know this is an important match for us because we are playing for qualification for the Europa League.”
Juve are looking to avoid becoming only the second Italian side to lose five Champions League matches in a single group-stage campaign after Roma in the 2004-05 season.
Cuadrado has started 15 games for Juve in all competitions this season, including all five European games – only Danilo (16) has started more regularly.
The Colombia international, who is expected to feature at the World Cup, has spent seven years in Turin but is set to be out of contract at the end of the campaign.
“I’m happy to be here. I feel like this team is my family,” he said. “I’ve almost spent my entire career as a professional here and am grateful to Juventus.
Scotland will take on Austria in the first round of the European qualification playoffs for next year’s women’s World Cup, while Wales will face Bosnia and Herzegovina and Portugal will meet Belgium after the draw was conducted by UEFA on Friday.
Scotland, Austria, Wales, Bosnia, Portugal, Belgium, Switzerland, Iceland and Ireland are all competing in the two-round playoffs after finishing second in each of their qualifying groups.
Scotland will play Austria in their first-round playoff. ANP via Getty Images
Scotland will take on Austria in the first round of the European qualification playoffs for next year’s women’s World Cup, while Wales will face Bosnia and Herzegovina and Portugal will meet Belgium after the draw was conducted by UEFA on Friday.
Scotland, Austria, Wales, Bosnia, Portugal, Belgium, Switzerland, Iceland and Ireland are all competing in the two-round playoffs after finishing second in each of their qualifying groups.
Uefahas opened an investigation into alleged racist behaviour of Juventus fans during Tuesday’s Champions League game at Paris Saint-Germain.
Social media footage shared by anti-discrimination network Fare appears to show some Juve supporters making monkey noises and Nazi salutes.
French police say four individuals have been identified and arrested for “provocation to racial hatred within the framework of a sports arena”.
PSG won the opening Group H game 2-1.
“A Uefa ethics and disciplinary inspector has been appointed to conduct a disciplinary investigation regarding allegations of discriminatory behaviour by Juventus supporters,” European football’s governing body said in a statement.
“Information on this matter will be made available in due course.”
Uefa has commissioned an independent report into the scenes outside the ground that delayed Saturday’s Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid.
Kick-off at the Stade de France in Paris was delayed by over half an hour with Liverpool ticket-holders seen waiting in huge queues, and French police later using tear gas on crowds.
On Monday, French authorities complained of what they called “industrial-scale” ticket fraud amid a row over the game’s policing.
French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said there were “no problems” regarding Madrid supporters and the Spanish side had controlled their travelling fans better than Liverpool, who had let their supporters “out in the wild”.
Liverpool chairman Tom Werner has since written a letter to Oudea-Castera “demanding an apology” for her comments.
Werner wrote: “The events that occurred in and around the Stade de France on Saturday night at the Uefa Champions League final were not only incredibly dangerous for all who attended, but raised serious questions about the organization and operation of the event.
“This should be the focus of all interested parties today rather than pursuing a blame game strategy via press conference.
“The Uefa Champions League final should be one of the finest spectacles in world sport, instead it devolved into one of the worst security collapses in recent memory.”
Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan has said the club are “reviewing legal avenues available to us on behalf of affected supporters”.
In an interview on the Liverpool website, Hogan said he was “incredibly surprised” by Oudea-Castera’s remarks, calling them “completely inappropriate”.
He added: “We just feel that everyone should be focused on getting the investigation right and less about making inflammatory comments that attempt to deflect responsibility for what happened on Saturday night.”
Uefa said a “comprehensive review” would examine a number of factors which include the decision-making, responsibility and behaviour of all parties involved in the final, it added.
Uefa said in a statement: “Evidence will be gathered from all relevant parties and the findings of the independent report will be made public once completed. Upon receipt of the findings, Uefa will evaluate the next steps.”
The report will be independently compiled and Dr Tiago Brandao Rodrigues from Portugal will lead the production of the review.
Uefa initially blamed the “late arrival” of fans for the problems, delaying kick-off by 36 minutes, with Liverpool going on to lose 1-0 to Spanish champions Real Madrid.
France’s interior and sports ministers acknowledged difficulties in managing crowds at the final but have been pointing blame for the chaos at fans with fake tickets and local youths trying to force their way into the stadium.
However, a spokesperson for France’s independent police commissioner’s union (SICP), Mathieu Valet, told the BBC’s Newshour that “supporters without tickets or with fake tickets were not the main problem”.
“It’s clear that we needed more police – we didn’t have enough on the ground,” he said.
On Sunday, Liverpool called for an investigation into the “unacceptable issues” faced by fans before the match.
Many claimed they had been at the stadium hours before kick-off but were stopped from getting into the ground.
UK sports minister Nigel Huddleston said he was “very concerned about the upsetting scenes”, while Reds defender Andy Robertson said the organisation of the match was a “shambles”.
Russian football clubs and national teams have been suspended from all competitions by FIFA and UEFA after the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
The world and European football governing bodies said they would be banned “until further notice”.
It means the Russian men’s team will not play their World Cup play-off matches next month and the women’s team have been banned from this summer’s Euro 2022 competition.
Spartak Moscow have also been kicked out of the Europa League and their last-16 opponents RB Leipzig will advance to the quarter-finals.
“Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine,” Fifa and Uefa said in a joint statement.
“Both presidents hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people.”
Fifa and Uefa intervened after Russia, supported by Belarus, launched a military invasion of neighbouring Ukraine last Thursday.
The Russian men’s team had been scheduled to face Poland in a World Cup play-off semi-final on 24 March.
Russian football’s governing body, the RFU, said it “categorically disagreed” with the decision and would challenge it “in accordance with international sports law”. Spartak Moscow called the decision “upsetting”, tweeting: “We believe that sport, even in the most difficult times, should aim to build bridges, and not burn them.”
Fifa had previously ruled that Russia must complete their upcoming games in neutral territory, under the title Football Union of Russia, and without their flag and anthem.
However, that announcement had drawn criticism – and Scotland and the Republic of Ireland joined several other nations, including England, Northern Ireland and Wales, as well as Poland, the Czech Republic and Sweden, in refusing to play against Russia.
On Monday, Scottish FA president Rod Petrie wrote to his Ukrainian counterpart “to send a message of support, friendship and unity”, with those two nations due to meet in their World Cup play-off semi-final on 24 March.
The 2022 Champions League final, originally due to be played in St Petersburg on 28 May, has been moved to Paris while numerous clubs have taken their own steps to disassociate themselves from Russia.
Manchester United has terminated its sponsorship deal with Russia’s national airline Aeroflot while Bundesliga club Schalke has cancelled its partnership with main sponsor Gazprom, having last week removed the Russian energy company’s logo from its shirts.
Russia are in Northern Ireland’s European Under-21 Championship qualifying group and their meeting in March will be cancelled.
Speaking on Monday, Tottenham manager Antonio Conte said: “The whole world has to be compact and show [it is] solid against the stupidity of the people.”
He added: “I think it’s right to express our disappointment about the stupidity about some decisions. Football and Uefa has to be compact and to show to be strong.”
‘Other sports will follow football’s lead’ – analysis
Dan Roan, BBC Sport editor
This is the strongest move yet taken by the international football community.
Russia is rapidly being reduced to the status of international sporting pariah. Of course this comes after Fifa was accused of not going far enough on Sunday instead allowing Russia to continue playing as ‘RFU’ with a ban on its flag and anthem.
The IOC heaped pressure on football by recommending that all sports enforce a total ban on Russia and Belarus.
This will undeniably prompt other sports to follow football’s lead.
There will also be those who say that the IOC could have gone further and say that ‘this is a decision, we are commanding all sports to ban Russian athletes’.
Whether they thought they had grounds to do so, legally, is another matter.
Some will also point to the Sochi 2014 Games and World Cup 2018 that Putin’s Russia was able to host and ask if this is all too late.
Bans needed to protect integrity of global sport – IOC
The IOC says it is urging sport governing bodies to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes “in order to protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants”, adding that “the current war in Ukraine puts the Olympic Movement in a dilemma”.
It said there had been a “breach of the Olympic Truce” by those countries’ governments.
“While athletes from Russia and Belarus would be able to continue to participate in sports events, many athletes from Ukraine are prevented from doing so because of the attack on their country,” an IOC statement read.
The International Paralympic Committee is to meet on Wednesday to discuss Russia, with the Winter Paralympics set to start two days later, running from 4-13 March.
The British Paralympic committee has called on Russians and Belarussians to be kicked out of the Games.
The British Olympic Association, along with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Germany, has demanded the immediate exclusion of Russia and Belarus from international sport.
The IOC said in their recommendations that wherever it was not possible to ban them from competing for organisational or legal reasons, such athletes should not compete under the name Russia or Belarus and should be classed as neutrals.
The Russian Olympic Committee has disagreed with the IOC, saying the decision “contradicts both the regulatory documents of the IOC and the [Olympic] Charter”.
What else is happening in sport?
The Russian Grand Prix is closely associated with President Vladimir Putin
The Russian Formula 1 Grand Prix, due to take place on 25 September in Sochi, was cancelled last week.
The sport’s governing body, the FIA, will meet on Tuesday to “discuss matters relating to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine”.
World Rugby has suspended Russia and Belarus from international and cross-border competition “until further notice”.
“We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine,” said chairman Bill Beaumont.
On Friday, it was announced by Rugby Europe that all fixtures on Russian soil would be suspended, a move endorsed by the world governing body.
However the Russian women’s team played away in Spain on Saturday in the Rugby Europe Championship (REC), without their flag or national anthem
Russia men’s home fixture with the Netherlands next month in the REC had already been postponed and they were also due to play away fixture in Portugal on 19 March.
Badminton’s world governing body (BWF) responded to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by announcing the cancellation of all tournaments in Russia and Belarus in addition to banning the national flags and anthems of the two nations.
“BWF will continue to monitor the situation closely and will proactively consult our international sport movement partners to discuss other options to potentially strengthen measures against the governments of Russia and Belarus,” it said.
The Ukrainian Tennis Federation has called on the sport’s governing body, the International Tennis Federation (ITF), to expel Russia and Belarus from the organisation and ban Russia from individual and team tournaments.
Ukrainian Elina Svitolina has said she will refuse to play Russian or Belarusian players until they are classed as ‘neutral athletes’.
The world number 15 is due to play Anastasia Potopova of Russia at this week’s Monterrey Open but has threatened to withdraw unless the Women’s Tennis Association takes action.
Russian Daniil Medvedev, who became the ATP’s world number one on Monday, said he wanted to promote “peace all over the world” in a news conference on Friday during the Mexican Open.
The ITF said: “This is a fast-evolving situation; we are in active discussion with the ITF tennis family and the ITF board to decide and align around our next course of action.”
The International Equestrian Federation has announced it will remove international events from Russia and Belarus and stop athletes and officials from both countries from participating in all competitions.
Ice hockey‘s governing body, the IIHF, has suspended all Russian and Belarusian national teams and clubs from all of its competitions and events.
It has also taken the 2023 World Junior Championship away from Russia.
At the Fencing World Cup in Cairo on Sunday, Ukraine’s men’s foil team refused to fence against Russia.
Ukraine’s Klod Younes told BBC Radio 5 Live that he and his team-mates now intend to return home and defend their country.
“I knew before the competition [that I would not fence against them]. I told my team-mates and they supported me and said they would do the same,” Younes said.
On whether he and his team-mates will fight if necessary, he added: “Of course. This is our country. This is my country. I have to fight for it. I am defending my territory.”
On Monday, the UK government’s Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries and Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston met with several British sport governing bodies – including the Premier League, Football Association, UK Sport and British Olympic Association – to discuss the Ukraine situation.
The government has urged sports to continue with “visible signs of solidarity” with Ukraine and says it plans to talk with international counterparts later this week to mobilise further support to ostracise Russia from international sport.
Ajax Amsterdam’s new sensation, Kudus Mohammed has tempted UEFA with his amazing display against Heerenveen ahead of the Champions League opener against Liverpool in midweek.
The Ghana international who scored and provided a brace of assists for the Dutch giants in their thumping win on Sunday looks to have advertised himself properly ahead of the showdown with the six times European champions.
His performance could not just pass as UEFA took their Twitter handle to applaud his performance.
The 20-year-old is expected to light up the Johan Cryuff Arena when Ajax host Liverpool in the opening group game on Wednesday.
Mohammed was adjudged Man of the Match, his second since joining the Eredivisie outfit in the summer transfer window.
His performance also earned him high ratings making him the best player from the Eredivisie over the weekend.
The ex-FC Nordsjaelland player was making a return to the team after recovering from an injury that ruled him out of the international break for Ghana.
The former Ghana U-17 and U-20 star assisted Dusan Tadic to open the scoring in the 4th minute.
He got himself onto the scoresheet ten minutes from recess after connecting a pass from Ryan Gravenberch following an excellent team effort.
Kudus set up Brazilian forward Antony dos Santos with a silky pass in the 87th to seal the victory for Ajax.
Two 20-year-olds on the scoresheet for Ajax today. ????????
???????? Mohammed Kudus (1st Ajax goal, 2 assists) ???????? Antony (3rd goal in 5 games)
Former Ghana midfielder Eric Addo has been appointed assistant U-21 coach of Dutch side PSV Eindhoven.
Addo, now retired, was named assistant coach of the youth side after acquiring his UEFA Coaching license.
The 41-year old has enormous experience after spending most of his career in the Netherlands with the likes of PSV and Roda JC Kekraade.
Eric Addo was a member of the Ghana team that first qualified for the FIFA World Cup in 2006, and played a vital role as the Black Stars reached the round of 16 at the tournament in Germany.
The ex-Ghana international is expected to bring his experience to fore in developing talents for the club.
PSV have struggled to produce top talents in recent times, finding it hard to compete with the likes of Ajax and AZ Alkmaar, who have a strong talent pool.
The former midfielder made 45 appearances for Ghana from 1998 to 2010 and appeared in two AFCON tournaments (1998 and 2008), as well as the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Spain-based goalkeeper Razak Brimah could sign for a UEFA Champions League club, his agent Ibrahim Abdullai has exclusively told GHANASoccernet.com.
The Ghana international was instrumental in the truncated 2019/20 season where his side Linares Deportivo were declared champions.
He was named the best goalkeeper in the Tercera Division after conceding just 13 goals in 24 league matches.
”As it stands, I have teams in higher leagues ready to hand him a contract and one of them is a Champions League club,” Abdullai, who is Ghanaian-Spanish, exclusively told GHANASoccernet.com
Brimah has succeeded in reviving his career after dropping to the lower league in Spain.
No African goalscorer has netted more goals than Samuel Eto’o in the history of Europe’s top 10 leagues, but a host of legendary strikers feature alongside the Cameroon legend in each of the continent’s top divisions.
UEFA’s country coefficients rank Spain, England, Germany, Italy, France, Portugal, Russia, Belgium, Netherlands, and Ukraine (in that order) as Europe’s top 10 footballing nations, prompting KickOff.com to investigate who the leading African goalscorers in the history of each of those country’s top divisions is.
Eto’o features as the all-time leading African goalscorer in LaLiga history after starring for Real Madrid, Mallorca, and FC Barcelona.
The Cameroon legend’s time in Spain saw him net 162 times in 280 appearances, which is the most by any African player across the continent’s top 10 divisions.
In England, former Chelsea and Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba reigns supreme after tucking home 104 Premier League goals across two spells with the Blues, while ex-Borussia Dortmund star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the Bundesliga’s leading African marksman with 98 strikes to his name.
Former Senegal striker Mamadou Niang, whose 100 goals for Olympique Marseille, Strasbourg, and Troyes make him Ligue 1’s greatest African import, is one of only two other players who have more than a century of goals on the list, alongside former Eredivisie star Matthew Amoah.
Below are the 10 African strikers who conquered Europe:
LaLiga, Spain: Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon / Real Madrid, Mallorca & FC Barcelona) 162 goals in 280 appearances.
Premier League, England: Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast / Chelsea) 104 goals in 254 appearances
Liga NOS, Portugal: Albert Meyong (Cameroon / Vitoria Setubal, Belenenses & SC Braga) 70 goals in 177 appearances
Premier League, RussiaSeydou Doumbia (Ivory Coast / CSKA Moscow) 66 goals in 108 appearances
Jupiler Pro League, Belgium: Mbaye Leye (Senegal / Zulte Wagrem, Gent, Standard Liege, Lokeren, Eupen & Mouscron) 94 goals in 286 appearances
Eredivisie, Netherlands: Matthew Amoah (Ghana / Vitesse, Heerenveen, Fortuna Sittard, Heracles & NAC Breda) 117 goals in 310 appearances
Premier League, Ukraine: Lucky Idahor (Nigeria / Dynamo Kyiv, Vorskla Poltava, Karpaty Lviv, Tavriya Simferopol & Zorya Luhansk) 43 goals in 181 appearances
Disclaimer : “Opinions expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not in any way reflect those of backend.theindependentghana.com. Our outfit will hereby not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article.â€
Ghana defender Gideon Mensah remembers the first trophy he won with Red Bull Salzburg when he first arrived in Europe to begin his professional career.
The left back was a member of the Red Bull Salzburg youth team that won the UEFA Youth League after beating Benfica in the finals three years ago.
The Austrians came back from a goal down to defeat the Portuguese giants in a game that Mensah played an integral role.
“Three years ago today playing for Red Bull Salzburg, we came back from a goal down to beat Benfica 2-1 in the finals of the UEFA Youth League which was my first trophy as a professional player,” the 21-year old recollects.
Mensah has steadily progressed at the club, but he is yet to break into the senior team after loan spells at Stum Graz and Zulte Waregem.
However, his impressive performances for Zulte Waregem this season has seen him earn national team call ups, and played in the 2021 Nations Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Sao Tome back in November.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said Monday that leagues across Europe were ready to return to action behind closed doors in a bid to limit the damage caused by coronavirus.
Football leagues have been suspended since mid-March due to the pandemic which has claimed more than 100,000 lives throughout the continent. But the head of European football believes that playing would be an important step towards a return to normal life and avoid heavy financial losses for leagues.
“I believe there are options that can allow us to restart cup championships and to complete them,†Ceferin said in an interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera.
“We may have to resume without spectators, but the most important thing, I think, is playing games.”
“It is early to say that we cannot complete the season. The impact would be terrible for clubs and leagues. Better to play behind closed doors than not at all.”
“In such hard times it would bring happiness to people and a certain sense of normality even if the games can only be seen on TV.”
“All activities are being organised to start again, everyone needs to find their lives.”
“If safety measures are respected and if the authorities give the green light, the training could resume like the rest.”
“Further consent will be needed for matches.†Ceferin said that if leagues returned “soon enough†then Champions League and Europa League matches could “be played in parallel†with no date limit for the finals. The Slovenian said he was not in favour of the season going into September and October as it “would have a heavy impact†on the 2020-2021 campaign.”
“We can finish, but we must respect the decisions taken by authorities,†he continued. “The priority is the health of fans, players and coaches.â€
As for countries who have decided not to finish the season, Ceferin said that UEFA “will review the casesâ€.
“Such decisions were not made alone,†he said. “Football is interconnected, we have seen how important it is for UEFA and leagues to work in good cooperation. The executive committee will review the cases.â€
He added: “Leagues are the revenue base for clubs nationwide. If completed, the financial consequences will be limited. “UEFA, on the other hand, will lose a lot of money for postponing Euro 2020.â€
Uefa will provide an update on plans to finish the 2019-20 season to all its 55 national associations at a video conference on Tuesday.
European football’s governing body hopes to end the campaign in August, although with every league bar Belarus still suspended there are doubts over whether that deadline can be met.
Uefa has launched two working groups, one specifically assessing the fixture calendar. It is hoped specific proposals will be presented by mid-May at the latest.
However, the continuing uncertainty over the spread of coronavirus is creating major issues, with some leagues – including Germany and Denmark – talking optimistically about a resumption next month, while others – England among them – believe it will be June at the earliest before they can play games, and some Premier League clubs feel it will be longer than that.
Uefa is still hoping to complete its own tournaments in the normal two-legged format. However, there is an understanding that it may not be possible, so one-off games, and a week-long mini-tournament from the quarter-finals onwards for both the Champions League and Europa League, have also been discussed.
Tuesday’s meeting will be followed on Thursday by a meeting of the Uefa executive committee.
That is expected to provide an update on the Womens’ European Championship and the Nations League, both of which have been moved to allow Euro 2020 to take place a year later than scheduled, plus plans to relax financial regulations this season.
In addition, it is anticipated, Uefa will confirm that it will listen to requests to end domestic leagues early.
It has previously warned against this, saying countries risk their places in next season’s European competitions.
La Liga could return to action as early as next month, its president Javier Tebas said on Tuesday, as the league awaits a chance to restart following the coronavirus shutdown.
Tebas also warned Spanish clubs could lose as much as one billion euros ($1.1 billion) if the season is not completed, pushing football bosses in the country to search for a late finish to the current campaign.
“The different scenarios we have been looking at with UEFA to go back to competing are most probably starting on the May 29 June 6-7 or June 28,” Tebas said.
“We’re not just looking at what happens in Spain… the job is to get all our calendars (in Europe) in line so all the competitions are able to finish together.”
However Tebas said no team training could take place until after the state of emergency ends in Spain — currently set until April 26. Should that end date be pushed back the chances of restarting in May would likely vanish.
Tebas said “it is not an option” to cancel the season given the massive hit to revenue Spain’s top clubs would have to absorb, with 150 million euros gone even if La Liga finishes the season with fans at matches.
“We are not considering at all that we will not get back to playing matches,” he said.
“It is not just league revenues, it is league revenues plus all the other revenue from the Champions League that teams wouldn’t receive.
“We are talking about one billion euros if we don’t get back to playing, 300 million euros if we play behind closed doors and 150 million euros if we do to get back to playing with fans.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has killed nearly 14,000 people in Spain, the world’s second hardest-hit country after Italy in terms of deaths.
On Tuesday, Spain said a further 743 people had died but the “downward trend” is continuing despite an increase in the latest figures.
The restart date for the Premier League will be pushed back on Friday.
All 20 Premier League clubs will meet via video and it is accepted by all that there is no hope of professional games being played immediately after the current 30 April deadline.
The Premier League could shift the date back into May or opt to follow Spain and France, who have shut down their leagues for an indefinite period.
Italy have talked of Serie A returning in late May, but that seems optimistic.
European governing body Uefa has written a joint letter with the European Clubs’ Association and the European Leagues urging domestic bodies not to abandon their competitions.
Leagues across Europe have been told that ending competitions early could result in them forfeiting Champions League and Europa League places.
Pushing the date back would allow Premier League clubs the chance to offer their stadiums and medical staff to the National Health Service, knowing they would not be required in the short term.
That would at least correct some of the negative publicity that has accompanied news that four clubs, including Tottenham, are already using the government’s furlough scheme to compensate laid-off workers by up to £2,500-a-month, despite their players and manager Jose Mourinho, some of whom earn in excess of £100,000-a-week, remaining on full pay.
Talks between the Premier League, Football League and both the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) and League Managers’ Association (LMA) are continuing, with clubs expected to be updated on this at Friday’s meeting.
Explanation for the delay in players accepting pay cuts or, more likely, wage deferrals – including the fact they are financial assets of their clubs in addition to employees and have watertight contracts which, in some cases, expire on 30 June – has cut little ice with many within the general public and also some politicians, who have made their displeasure clear.
Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe and Brighton counterpart Graham Potter have both taken the personal decision to accept significant cuts without waiting for any central directive from the LMA.
Talks about a resumption are also anticipated, when the prospect of games being played behind closed doors, potentially in a limited number of locations, will be discussed.
Training grounds have been mentioned as potentially hosting games, although it is difficult to work out how this would be a safer environment than stadiums, which, evidently, are built to host matches that, by definition, need to be broadcast in order to avoid the £750m repayment to TV companies that would be triggered by a failure to complete the current season.
That such a scenario has even been discussed underlines the overwhelming desire among Premier League clubs, which remains to complete the season in its entirety.
However, Premier League sources are equally adamant nothing will be agreed that places any unnecessary strain on medical resources at a time of national crisis.
Even in a sterile environment it is acknowledged how bad it would look for the game if a player needed hospital treatment for a broken leg at a time when significant numbers of the general population were dying of coronavirus.
So, alternative options are being discussed, in England and across Europe.
Insiders at European football’s governing body Uefa have confirmed that places reserved in next season’s Europa League for domestic cup winners would revert to league positions if those tournaments were not completed.
The Belgian League has become the first to declare its season over, although with 29 games out of 30 in the regular league programme already played, effectively it has abandoned the play-off system that should have followed and is seen as a special case.
Of more consequence for the major leagues is the massive financial hit taken by Ligue 1 after their domestic rights holders Canal+ and beIN Sports confirmed an intention to withhold the latest payment, which was due on 5 April.
Should France, Italy or Spain close their leagues down for the season, that is likely to have far reaching consequences for the game given, together with England, 16 out of the 28 teams remaining in the Champions or Europa Leagues come from one of those four countries.
The Union of European Union Football Association (UEFA) has postponed the “Euro 2020” until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the Norwegian Football Association Euro 2020, this follows an emergency videoconference meeting held on Tuesday, which was attended by 55 member associations.
The NFF has tweeted it was decided that the competition would now take place from June 11 to July 11 next year.
The decision is set to be signed off by UEFA’s Executive Committee later on Tuesday.
The tournament had originally been due to be held from June 12 to July 12 this year, at venues across a dozen cities in as many different European countries.
The postponement gives an opportunity for European leagues that have been suspended to now finish.
In addition, UEFA’s Nations League and the European Under-21 Championships are also scheduled to take place next summer.
The 2021 UEFA Women’s European Championship is set to be held in England and begins on July 7, five days prior to the proposed men’s final.
The expanded Club World Cup, organised by world football’s governing body FIFA and scheduled for the summer of 2021, now appears unlikely to go ahead as planned.
Manchester City returned to winning ways after a tumultuous week off the field with a comfortable 2-0 victory over West Ham on Wednesday.
Postponed by 10 days due to Storm Ciara, the champions let their football do the talking with a display of attacking dominance in their first game since receiving a two-season ban from all UEFA competition.
Rodri opened the scoring on the half hour with his first Etihad Stadium goal before Kevin de Bruyne wrapped up the three points after the hour as Pep Guardiola’s side consolidated second in the Premier League by moving four points clear of third-place Leicester, who they face on Saturday.
For West Ham and David Moyes, their failure to register a single attempt on target on their way to a fourth league defeat in six leaves the Hammers in the relegation zone and in desperate need of points.
Player ratings
Man City: Ederson (7), Walker (7), Otamendi (7), Laporte (7), Mendy (7), Rodri (8), David Silva (7), De Bruyne (8), Bernardo Silva (7), Jesus (6), Aguero (7).
