UEFA

Paris - Up to 9,500 spectators will be allowed to attend the Europa League final in the Polish city of Gdansk later this month, UEFA announced on Monday after getting the green light from local authorities. European football's governing body said Polish officials had agreed that 25 percent of the roughly 40,000 seats in the Gdansk Stadium could be filled for the match on Wednesday, May 26. The game could be an all-English affair, with Manchester United almost certain to reach the final

LONDON: The Champions League final will definitely take place in Istanbul on May 29 despite Turkey going into a COVID-19 lockdown, UEFA said on Thursday (Apr 29). A resurgence of COVID-19 infections has prompted the Turkish government to impose a 17-day lockdown which will end on May 17. With the growing possibility of English Premier League clubs Manchester City and Chelsea reaching the final scheduled for the Ataturk Olympic Stadium, questions have been raised about the logistics of the venue. However, UEFA insist

LAUSANNE: European football's governing body UEFA on Thursday (Apr 29) announced it was joining a sporting boycott of social media this weekend to protest against online abuse. A number of high-profile footballers have suffered racial abuse in recent months, prompting calls for tougher action from internet giants. A coalition of football organisations including the English Football Association and Premier League revealed they would not post on their channels this weekend and the boycott has grown, with other sports bodies, sponsors and broadcasters joining

LONDON: Europe's soccer governing body UEFA is set to increase the size of the national team squads at this year's European Championship from 23 to 26 players, British media reported on Tuesday (Apr 27). The rule is being changed to lighten the burden on players after the start of the 2020-21 season was delayed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic while the campaign was also compressed to finish by May, in time for the Jun 11-Jul 11 Euros. The decision was taken

MADRID: Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said on Monday (Apr 26) that he was not thinking about any sanctions against the club from UEFA in the wake of the European Super League announcement last week. The breakaway league involving 12 of Europe's major clubs collapsed within three days of its announcement amid a fierce backlash from fans, governing bodies and politicians. Real president Florentino Perez was named as chairman of the project and appears to have been the driving force behind the league,

LONDON: Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan says the new format for the UEFA Champions League is flawed and will add to player fatigue, calling it the lesser of two evils in comparison to the controversial European Super League. UEFA announced this week that they would expand the Champions League to 36 clubs from the 2024-25 season, with teams set to play four more matches compared to the current format. But Germany international Gundogan believes there is nothing wrong with the competition as it

PARIS: Football's most powerful clubs faced mounting calls for reprisals over the European Super League fiasco on Thursday (Apr 22), although UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said next week's Champions League semi-finals were unlikely to be affected. Super League chief Florentino Perez, president of Real Madrid, had insisted Wednesday the rebel competition was merely "on standby" despite nine teams pulling out. Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea withdrew on Tuesday, followed by Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and AC Milan 24

Frenchwoman Stephanie Frappart will become the first female official to be involved in European Championship matches after UEFA confirmed the list of referees for this year's tournament. In the past two years, Frappart became the first female to referee a men's Champions League match, a French Ligue 1 game and a men's World Cup qualifier. Frappart was not named among the 18 referees to take charge of the 51 Euro 2020 games but she will be involved as a support match official, working

European soccer's governing body UEFA led a backlash against plans for a breakaway Super League on Monday, saying associated players and clubs could be banned from its competitions - including three of this season's Champions League semi-finalists. Addressing an emergency meeting the day after 12 of Europe's top clubs announced the new league, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin described the Super League plan as a "spit in the face" of all football lovers. "As soon as possible they (the clubs) and the players have

ROME - Rome’s Stadio Olimpico was confirmed as a Euro 2020 host venue on Wednesday after the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) told UEFA that fans would be allowed to attend matches. “The authorities have guaranteed at least 25% of the stadium’s capacity will be filled. As a result, UEFA considers Rome to be fully confirmed as a venue for the tournament,” read a statement from European soccer’s governing body. A FIGC statement on Tuesday said that at least 25% of the 72,698-seater Olimpico

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has called on UEFA to take action after midfielder Glen Kamara complained of being racially abused by a Slavia Prague player in Thursday’s 2-0 Europa League defeat in Glasgow. Kamara was furious after Slavia centre back Ondrej Kudela leaned into his ear and said something while covering his mouth, sparking a melee in the final stages of their last-16 tie. The Scottish champions, who were reduced to nine men after Kemar Roofe and Leon Balogun were sent off, crashed

BERLIN: Plans by European football's governing body UEFA to ensure fans can attend all fixtures at this year's delayed pan-continental Euros has sparked fury in Germany, where Munich will host matches. Held over from 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the European championships are due to be held in 12 different countries from Jun 11 to Jul 11, with London's Wembley hosting the semis and final. Yet UEFA has warned it could change the venues if a host city insists on holding a

Preliminary draw to be held in Zurich at 18:00 CET on 7 DecemberRoad to Qatar 2022 to be mapped out for 55 European member associationsCeremony to be live-streamed on FIFA.com With FIFA World Cup 2022™ preliminary-competition action already under way in Africa, Asia and South America, UEFA’s 55 member associations are eagerly looking ahead to the start of their own race to reach Qatar 2022, with 13 berths available. Their anticipation will be heightened on 7 December, when the preliminary draw will take place

UEFA Champions League and Europa League are set to return after a prolonged break due to COVID-19. While the ‘Final-8’ of the showpiece tournament is set to be played in Lisbon, Portugal, the remaining second-leg matches from the UCL and UEL will be played as earlier scheduled.  The last 16 matches of UCL and UEL have stood postponed since the coronavirus shutdown in March which not only affected the world of football but almost every other sport. While the European leagues have now been

The threat of a new European Super League is growing because of football's financial meltdown across the Continent, according to reports. UEFA and league bosses thought they had headed off attempts to form a breakaway competition made up of the European elite last year. But the Sun report that those in favour of a European Super League believe there will never be a better time to tempt the likes of Manchester United, Barcelona and Bayern Munich due to the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus lockdown. Private equity and venture capitalist

UEFA working groups have been assessing the legal, regulatory and financial issues caused by the abrupt halt to football and formulated plans to resume competitions beyond the planned completion of the 2019-20 seasons by June 30. A European plan is being formed to resume football around July and August, with domestic leagues told on Thursday not to abandon competitions yet due to the coronavirus pandemic. The determination to ensure competitions are “decided on the field” to protect their integrity was outlined in a

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is seemingly unconcerned by UEFA’s latest inquiry into the Premier League champions. The manager has instead welcomed the decision and wants swift action to be taken on the issue, so the club can entirely focus on football. Manchester City were alleged to use sponsorship deals to circumvent Financial Fair Play regulations, something similar to what Paris-Saint Germain were accused of in the previous year. The investigation will be carried out for irregularities in Manchester City’s spending in 2014,

Manchester United midfielder, Marouane Fellaini netted late on Tuesday night in Champions League to give the Red Devils the desired win which saw them qualify for Round of 16 with one match at hand. After mostly dominating the game but being betrayed by a blunt edge up front, Fellaini shot home in the 91st minute, despite the ball appearing to come off his hand as he swiveled to strike it. After the match, the match winner was tagged on which he said: "It was

Football Leaks Der Spiegel reported that Sergio Ramos failed a doping test immediately after Champions League final 2017 in Cardiff. Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos was selected randomly after UCL final in which Real Madrid defeated Juventus 3-1. A month on from the final, UEFA received a report on the tests carried out after the game and samples provided by Ramos contained traces of banned substance Dexamethasone,  substance on the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited list. What is Dexamethasone? Dexamethasone is a corticosteroid. The steroid