Madrid, Spain | AFP | “I am happy where I am, I feel loved,” says Mikel Oyarzabal, Real Sociedad’s captain and creator, often linked with Manchester City but whose best chance of playing in the Champions League next season might be to stay where he is. Real Sociedad are fourth in …
Read More »Hearing opens as Man City appeal two-year European ban
Lausanne, Switzerland | AFP | Manchester City’s appeal against a two-year ban from European competition opened before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday by videoconference, a court official told AFP. City are accused of overstating sponsorship revenue to hide their failure to comply with UEFA’s financial fair-play (FFP) …
Read More »Kane warns Spurs they can’t slip up in quest for Champions League
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Harry Kane believes Tottenham Hotspur will have to win eight of their remaining nine Premier League games if they are to qualify for next season’s Champions League. The north London club were seven points adrift of the top four when the coronavirus shut down the …
Read More »UEFA considers ‘all options’ for Champions League format
Paris, France | AFP | UEFA is studying “all the options” for the format of this season’s interrupted Champions League, amid reports on Friday that European football’s governing body is considering moving the final from its scheduled venue in Istanbul. The Turkish city was due to host the final this Saturday at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium, …
Read More »Premier League return: the issues to resolve
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Premier League football is set to return on June 17 after a three-month coronavirus-enforced absence. Nothing realistically will stop Liverpool from being crowned English champions for the first time in 30 years. But there are a whole host of other issues to sort out, including …
Read More »Serie A meeting Italian Government to discover fate of season
Milan, Italy | AFP | Serie A hopes of following Germany and Spain back onto the pitch will be decided on Thursday during a meeting with the Italian government which will determine the fate of the season in football-mad Italy. Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora will tell Italian football federation and Lega …
Read More »UEFA chief hopes Champions League will finish by ‘end of August’
Lisbon, Portugal | AFP | UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin is aiming to finish this year’s Champions League by the end of August as football in Europe slowly starts to bounce back from the coronavirus pandemic. “Our plan is to finish it between now and the end of August,” Ceferin said in an interview with Portuguese …
Read More »‘Optimism, excitement’ – Salzburg’s US coach Marsch looks forward to football returning
Paris, France | AFP | Having become the first American to coach a team in the Champions League and overseen the remarkable rise of Erling Braut Haaland, it was already an unforgettable season for Jesse Marsch before the coronavirus pandemic came along. Now the coach of Austria’s Red Bull Salzburg is …
Read More »Qualification for next Champions League should be ‘on sporting merit’, says UEFA
Paris, France | AFP | Qualification for the next Champions League should be “on sporting merit” if domestic leagues cannot be completed but countries should “explore all possible options” to finish seasons suspended because of the coronavirus crisis, UEFA said on Thursday. “If a domestic competition is prematurely terminated for legitimate …
Read More »UEFA look for light at end of tunnel in bid to resume European football season
Paris, France | AFP | As European countries take steps towards easing lockdown measures imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic, UEFA will meet with the continent’s football clubs and associations this week to try to mark out a pathway towards resuming the season. European football’s governing body is eager to steer …
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