Governing Bodies
PREMIER LEAGUE PLAN FOR 92 MATCHES IN JUST 39 DAYS
The Premier League will return with a crunch double-header on Wednesday, June 17.
The opening games of Project Restart will see Manchester City take on Arsenal and Aston Villa face Sheffield United behind-closed doors in less than three weeks.
After weeks of uncertainty, a return date was finally decided at Thursday’s shareholders meeting, while a raft of significant proposals were also raised.
There proposals include:
- In the event of a Covid-19 outbreak at a club, teams may be required to play with just 15 available players
- The final date of the Premier League season has been earmarked for the weekend of July 25-26
- For top clubs to pay more of the proposed £330million broadcast rebate, though the payment could be halved if the season is completed by end of July
- Saturday and Sundays will see four games per day, which will be televised. There will be one match on Friday and Monday night
- If the season is curtailed, standings to be decided by an unweighted points-per-game system
- For games to be played as normal at home and away venues – but some ‘high-risk’ fixtures to take place at neutral venues.
If the season runs according to schedule, the FA Cup final has been pencilled in to take place at Wembley Stadium on August 1.
The quarter and semi-finals will be played during the Premier League season.
If the five-and-a-half week timetable runs without delay, all remaining 92 games will be played in just 39 days.
One source at a Premier League club told Sportsmail that proposals for clubs to fulfil fixtures with as many as 10 unavailable players shouldn’t cause a problem with the vast majority of clubs now willing to play.
Discussions on how to minimise the proposed £340million broadcast rebate was high on Thursday’s agenda.
Enhancements to the broadcasting product, such as half-time interviews, crowd noise and dressing room cameras have been explored in an attempt to reduce the payment.
It is understood the rebate could be slashed to as little as £170million if the Premier League meet their target of playing the final game by the end of July.
Some matches will also be free-to-air; the BBC confirmed on Thursday that they will show four Premier League games.
On Saturday and Sundays matches are scheduled for 12.30pm, 3pm, 5.30pm and 8pm, with games being broadcast back-to-back.
Midweek matches will kick off at 6pm and 8pm. Sky Sports confirmed on Thursday night that 25 of the 64 games they will televise will be free-to-air.
BT Sport and Amazon Prime will show the remaining 28 games.
While not required to, the bigger clubs – who have earned more for broadcasting revenue – have agreed to pay a bigger portion of the broadcasters rebate in a show of solidarity to the smaller clubs.
FIFA’s independent Ethics Committee has banned former Guyana Football Federation (GFF) General Secretary Ian Alves from all football-related activities for five years after finding he sexually harassed female staff members.
FIFA also fined Alves 20,000 Swiss francs ($22,000) after determining that he had breached provisions of the FIFA Code of Ethics relating to the protection of physical and mental integrity, abuse of position and general duties.
“FIFA has a strict stance against all forms of abuse in football,” the organisation said on Monday.
The decision followed a review of written statements from the victims, documents provided by the GFF, submissions from Alves, and other evidence gathered during the investigation.
Alves stepped down from his position in 2024.
The ban came into force on Monday, when the terms of the decision were notified to Alves, and the full grounds for the ruling will be communicated within 60 days in accordance with the Code of Ethics, FIFA added.
The GFF did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Alves could not immediately be reached for comment.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday that he planned to seek re-election for a fourth term in a bid to continue to lead the governing body of world soccer.
Infantino confirmed he would run for the 2027–2031 term in the closing moments of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, which comes less than two months before the start of the World Cup.
The election will be held on March 18 in Morocco, which is set to co-host the 2030 World Cup.
Infantino said he was “honoured and humbled” to have the chance to run for a fourth term.
The Italian-Swiss took office in 2016, replacing Sepp Blatter, and was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023.
Infantino has pushed for the expansion of FIFA competitions during his tenure, with this year’s World Cup in North America the first to feature 48 teams, while the women’s tournament in 2023 has been expanded to 32 teams.
Infantino’s tenure has also drawn some criticism over issues such as high World Cup ticket prices and the decision to award the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to U.S. President Donald Trump at the World Cup draw in December.
Earlier this month, the council of South American football’s governing body (CONMEBOL) said in a statement it would unanimously support the 56-year-old if he decided to seek another term.
-Reuters
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The supporters of Vancouver Whitecaps, a professional football (soccer) club in Canada, have staged a protest outside the FIFA Congress on Thursday, voicing fears that the Major League Soccer club could be relocated as uncertainty deepens over its ownership and long-term future.
The club is one of Canada’s most historic football institutions and has long been a central part of Vancouver’s sporting identity.
Around 100 fans gathered as delegates arrived for the annual FIFA meeting in Vancouver, chanting, singing and waving club flags in a show of solidarity. The demonstration comes just days after Vancouver Whitecaps FC revealed difficulties in securing a buyer willing to keep the club in the city.
The Whitecaps disclosed earlier this week that “stadium economics, venue access and revenue limitations” have complicated efforts to sell the club, despite a 16-month search for new ownership.
Season ticket holder Derek Hawksworth said supporters felt compelled to act amid growing fears of relocation.
“I wanted to come down given the threat of the team possibly moving,” he said. “It’s a rich history with the Whitecaps in North America… we want Vancouver to stay and not relocate. The history is here, and we want to continue with that history moving forward.”
The Vancouver Whitecaps are a professional football (soccer) club based in Vancouver, Canada. They currently compete in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top-tier league in the United States and Canada.
Concerns were heightened by reports that cities such as Las Vegas and Phoenix are leading contenders should the club relocate.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim has urged intervention, calling on the provincial government — which owns BC Place — to negotiate a “bridge deal” that would allow the team to remain while plans for a new stadium are explored. The club’s current lease at BC Place expires at the end of the year.
Despite the off-field uncertainty, the Whitecaps have been one of the standout teams this MLS season. They currently sit second in the Western Conference with 24 points from nine matches, just three points behind the San Jose Earthquakes.
For supporters, however, performances on the pitch offer little comfort as the future of their club hangs in the balance — a situation they hope global football leaders gathering in Vancouver will not ignore.
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