Football
News
Centralisation of archive allowed Fifa to offer matches free says commercial chief Thomas
Fifa’s chief commercial officer Simon Thomas has said the decision by the governing body to take its audiovisual archive services in-house has enabled it to offer more than 30 historic matches free of c…
Nike postpones Euro 2020 national team kit launches as contracts scrutinised
Nike’s launch of Euro 2020 national team kits for England, France and three other European countries were postponed this week because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Serie A 2018-19 revenues hit €2.7bn after media-rights increases
Italian football’s Serie A registered a 13.5-per-cent increase in revenues during the 2018-19 season, in part thanks to improved media-rights revenues.
Ekstraklasa launches FIFA 20 competition in Covid-19 response
Football’s Polish Ekstraklasa has launched an esports competition as it looks to engage fans in the absence of live sport during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Football Federation Australia ‘stands down’ 70 per cent of workforce
Football Federation Australia has announced that it has taken the “regrettable decision” to stand down 70 per cent of its workforce in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Germany’s ‘big four’ to make solidarity payment to other clubs
German Bundesliga football clubs Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen have pledged to provide €20m ($22m) to support clubs in the top tier and the second-tier 2.
Moroccan football clubs ‘push for payment of TV rights’
Six Moroccan football clubs are lobbying the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), the sport’s governing body in the North African country, over a broadcast rights payment, it is claimed.
Coronavirus update: LaLiga runs music festival, ONE fights on, AFL pay dispute, and more
Spanish football's LaLiga is running an online global music concert to raise funds for the fight against the coronavirus pandemic
Infront’s Herth: Covid-19 impact threatens clubs’ existence and transfer values
The wide-ranging effects of the Covid-19 crisis on European football will threaten the existence of some clubs and force transfer fees down, according to Stephan Herth, senior vice-president of football…
Lower league football | Exeter City’s turbulent past equips it to cope with Covid-19 crisis
English lower league club Exeter City's personal commitment to commercial partners has put the club on solid ground during the Covid-19 crisis. Callum McCarthy speak to club chairman Julian Tagg about the club's journey thus far and the hard road ahead.
‘Stop broadcasting, start interacting’ | The importance of digital engagement during sport’s shutdown
Adam Nelson speaks with a range of experts from across the digital space about how rights-holders and clubs can utilise digital content to both engage fanbases and provide a platform for their sponsors during the Covid-19-mandated shutdown.
New York City FC feels ‘pain’ of stadium saga after being forced to play at Red Bull Arena
NYCFC CEO Brad Sims talks to Bob Williams about the MLS club's long-running search for a building of their own and why uncomfortable interim steps have happened
USL creates Rocket League competition to stay active amid shutdown
The United Soccer League has unveiled a new Rocket League esports competition for its Championship and League One teams to take part in during the sports shutdown enforced by the Covid-19 pandemic
Real Madrid goes live on Twitch
Spanish LaLiga football club Real Madrid has launched an official channel on social video platform Twitch
DFL postpones rights tender as season pushed back again
The German Football League (DFL) has postponed its invitation to tender for domestic Bundesliga broadcast rights from 2021-22 to 2024-25 due to the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic
Facebook in talks for stake in Indian telco Jio
Facebook is in talks to acquire a 10-per-cent stake in Indian mobile telco Reliance Jio, according to the Financial Times
LFP asserts control over French football recovery
The French Football League (LFP) has formed three working groups to deal with the Covid-19 crisis, stating it is the “priority objective” to end the 2019-20 domestic season by June 30, or July 15 at the…
MP calls for Scottish football clubs to ban betting sponsorships
A UK Member of Parliament has proposed that the 42 Scottish professional football clubs sign a charter agreement to stop all gambling sponsorships between clubs and operators
Uefa and LaLiga open up archive content to own platforms
European football's governing body, Uefa, and Spain’s LaLiga have both made available their wealth of archive content on their own broadcast platforms amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.
Belgian Pro League and Proximus latest to create esports event in Covid-19 response
The Belgian Pro League and Belgian pay-television and telecommunications company Proximus are organising a Fifa 20 esports competition to make up for the lack of live league matches during the Covid-19…
Coronavirus latest: Champions and Europa League finals postponed, Olympics decisions imminent, and more
Uefa has postponed this year's Champions League and Europa League finals due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The women's Champions League final has also been postponed
US Soccer names experienced agency executive Wilson as new CEO
The United States Soccer Federation has named veteran sports business executive Will Wilson as the organization's new chief executive and secretary general
US billionaire Michael Dell reportedly in talks over investing in Derby County
English Championship club Derby County is in talks with American technology billionaire Michael Dell about a major financial investment, according to the Daily Telegraph
Calamitous Argentinian Superliga international rights tender is scrapped
The widely-criticised international broadcast rights sales process led by Argentina’s Superliga, the top-tier of domestic football in the South American country, has been scrapped.
Konami ‘blocks two LaLiga players’ from charity Fifa 20 tournament
Games developer and Barcelona sponsor Konami has blocked the club's Sergi Roberto from participating in an e-sports football tournament, it is claimed
Sky Deutschland’s live A-League coverage set to be short-lived
Pay-television broadcaster Sky Deutschland has today (Monday) provided live coverage of Australian club football competition the A-League as part of a tie-up with Germany-based subscription broadcaster…
LaLiga suspension extended amid continued state of emergency
LaLiga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) have today (Monday) announced that the suspension of domestic professional competitions will continue on an indefinite basis as the country continues to…
Sport1 moves to plug gap with Fifa archive and documentaries
Sport1, the German sports broadcaster, is to show various Fifa World Cup archive and documentary programming as it looks to rebuild a programming schedule hit by an absence of live sports events
NWSL, CPL delay start of 2020 seasons due to Covid-19
The National Women's Soccer League and Canadian Premier League have become the latest North American professional soccer leagues to suspend their seasons due to the global Covid-19 outbreak
World Snooker Championship and Invictus Games postponed, Turkish Süper Lig and Pro-14 ‘suspended indefinitely’
The World Snooker Championship has been postponed just days after promotor Barry Hearn suggested that the event could take place behind closed doors during the Covid-19 pandemic
Germany’s federal cartel office give go-ahead on domestic Bundesliga tender
The Bundeskartellamt, Germany’s federal cartel office, has given the all clear for the German Football League (DFL) to launch its invitation to tender for domestic Bundesliga rights.
FFF chief sets out vision for European football return
Noël Le Graët, president of the French Football Federation (FFF), has expressed his desire for the Ligue 1 season to run until at least July 15 to ensure all domestic leagues in Europe are completed.
LaLiga, F1 launch virtual competitions amid disrupted schedules
Football’s Spanish LaLiga and the Formula 1 motor-racing series have today (Friday) announced plans to fill the gaps left by their respective postponements by launching virtual competitions for fans t…
Fifa opens video archive to serve fans in isolation
Fifa has opened up its match archive across its owned and social media channels and is allowing broadcast partners access to archive rights to fill their schedules during the Covid-19 outbreak
LFP offers out Ligue 1 archive content to domestic broadcasters for free
The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) has given French pay-television broadcasters Canal Plus and beIN Sports access to a host of archive content for free following the postponement of 2019-20 Ligue…
Coronavirus latest: Bach says IOC not considering Tokyo cancellation, J-League scraps relegation, and more
International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach has insisted that cancelling this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo due to the Covid-19 outbreak is not under consideration.