Governing Bodies
PREMIERSHIP CLUBS MEET AGAIN ON RESTART PLAN
Warring English Premier League clubs will meet on Monday (May 11) with tensions mounting over the divisive ‘Project Restart Plan’ to finish the season amid the coronavirus crisis.
Premier League chiefs hope to return to action next month, but that goal could be scuppered by an internal battle between clubs fiercely protecting their own interests.
The Premier League had delayed its latest meeting until after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s address to the nation on Sunday. But, for those clubs and players concerned about the rush to return, his admission that the virus transmission rate is still too high to significantly ease Britain’s lockdown until at least June 1 was hardly reassuring.
The Premier League has been halted since March 13, but he offered no details about its short-term future and indicated that, while the general population will be allowed to play sports from Wednesday, they must do so only with those in their own households.
And the growing unease about the Premier League’s desire to finish its remaining 92 fixtures only increased on Sunday when Brighton admitted a third player in their squad had contracted the virus.
The scheduled return of Germany’s Bundesliga from May 16 had raised hopes that the Premier League could follow suit, yet there are stark differences between the health crisis in both countries.
Britain’s death toll from the pandemic passed 30,000 last week to become the worst-hit country in Europe. By contrast, Germany has registered just over 7,000 deaths.
However, German second-tier club Dynamo Dresden have put their entire squad and coaching staff into two-week isolation after two players tested positive for the virus.
Also on Sunday, La Liga confirmed five unnamed players have the virus and will go into quarantine.
Brighton chief executive Paul Barber has been one of the more vocal critics of the restart scheme and he told the Mail on Sunday: “We have got to be careful that we do not misstep here because if we do, it could ruin lives. It could cost lives. And we cannot afford that.”
Testing and player welfare remain major hurdles to overcome, with Norwich midfielder Todd Cantwell summing up the feelings of worried players when he responded to the positive test at Brighton by tweeting: “We are just people too.”
Comprehensive testing is believed to be part of the protocols required for a restart, with the BBC reporting that this could cost about £30,000 (S$52,600) a week. Some 40,000 tests – at between £150 and £180 each – for the remaining 92 fixtures are expected to be required with each person tested twice a week.
A lack of unity has provoked another complication for the Premier League over the use of neutral venues.
League chiefs believe they will only get the government’s green light to restart if the number of venues are limited to reduce the medical, police, security and broadcast personnel required.
There are also fears over fans congregating at home stadiums, even though the matches would be played behind closed doors.
Leading the resistance to neutral venues are clubs near the bottom of the table and at risk of huge financial losses by dropping out of England’s lucrative top flight.
Brighton had five of their remaining nine games at home, while Aston Villa were due to play six of their last 10 matches at Villa Park.
“What we can’t accept is a fundamental change to the competition three-quarters of the way through,” Barber said. “That is not fair and there is absolutely nobody who will convince me otherwise.”
Villa’s chief executive Christian Purslow said giving up home advantage “is a massive decision”.
Seven of the 20 top-flight clubs would need to officially reject neutral venues to stop the plan going ahead, although it has been reported the issue will not be put to a vote on Monday.
The Uefa deadline for restart proposals is May 25 and League Managers Association chief executive Richard Bevan has warned a failure to reach consensus soon could see the season cancelled.
Aware of the animosity between clubs, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish conceded it will not be easy to restart in the current climate.
“It may prove beyond us. We have huge challenges in order to get it back to complete the season but we are planning on doing so,” Parish told the BBC. “There are no easy answers. We have to work through it as a collective. I think we will come out with a consensus in the end.”
-AFP
World football governing body, FIFA, today clocks its 122nd anniversary, celebrating more than a century of overseeing and expanding the global game.
Founded on May 21, 1904, in Paris, France, FIFA began with just seven member associations — France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
From that modest beginning, the organisation has grown into the most influential sports governing body in the world, with 211 member associations spread across all continents.
Over the decades, FIFA has transformed football into a truly global phenomenon through competitions such as the FIFA World Cup, Women’s World Cup, Club World Cup, youth tournaments, and developmental programmes aimed at growing the game worldwide.
The organisation has also witnessed remarkable milestones, including the expansion of the men’s World Cup from 13 teams in 1930 to 48 teams beginning from the 2026 edition to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
FIFA’s journey has equally reflected football’s growing influence beyond sport, with the game becoming a major tool for diplomacy, social inclusion, youth empowerment, and economic development across the world.
As FIFA celebrates 122 years of existence, attention is now focused on the future of the game, technological innovations, expanded competitions, women’s football growth, and the continued globalisation of football.
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UEFA has issued a lifetime ban to Petr Vlachovsky, a Czech women’s soccer coach who secretly filmed his players, the governing body announced on Tuesday.
Czech media reported that the coach was convicted in May 2025 and initially received a suspended one-year prison sentence and a five-year domestic coaching ban for filming FC Slovacko’s players in changing rooms, the youngest of whom was 17.
In a statement, UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) said it had decided to ban Vlachovsky “from exercising any football-related activity for life” following the appointment of an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector to investigate allegations of potential misconduct.
“The CEDB further decided to request FIFA to extend the abovementioned ban on a worldwide level and to order the Football Association of the Czech Republic to revoke Mr Petr Vlachovsky’s coaching licence,” the statement added.
FC Slovacko did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Football players’ union FIFPRO welcomed the ban as well as UEFA’s request for world soccer governing body FIFA to impose an international ban on Vlachovsky.
“This outcome sends a strong and necessary message that abusive and inappropriate behaviour has no place in football and that safeguarding the well-being of players must remain a priority at every level of the game,” FIFPRO added in a statement.
Vlachovsky had also previously served as coach of the Czech women’s Under-19s team.
RELATED STORY: https://sportsvillagesquare.com/2026/04/08/outrage-as-male-coach-who-secretly-filmed-women-players-still-free-to-work-in-football/
-Reuters
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Southampton have been kicked out of the Championship playoff final after being found guilty of spying on semi-final opponents Middlesbrough, the English Football League said on Tuesday.
Middlesbrough, who lost 2-1 to Southampton on aggregate in the semi, have been reinstated and will face Hull City on Saturday in what is dubbed the world’s richest soccer match.
Promotion to the Premier League, even with an immediate relegation, is estimated to be worth in the region of 200 million pounds ($268.10 million) over three seasons.
Southampton, who admitted the charges, were also found guilty of filming training sessions involving Oxford United in December and Ipswich Town in April during the regular season.
They have also been deducted four points from the start of next season in England’s second tier.
“An Independent Disciplinary Commission has today expelled Southampton from the Championship play-offs after the club admitted multiple breaches of EFL regulations related to the unauthorised filming of other clubs’ training,” the EFL said.
“Southampton admitted breaches of Regulations requiring Clubs to act with the utmost good faith and prohibiting the observation of another Club’s training session within 72 hours of a scheduled match.
“The effect of today’s order is that Middlesbrough are reinstated into the 2026 play-offs and will proceed to the play-off final against Hull City. The final remains scheduled for Saturday 23 May, with the kick-off time to be confirmed.”
The EFL confirmed that Southampton could appeal against the decision and that “parties are working to try and resolve any appeal on Wednesday 20 May.
“Subject to the outcome, it could result in a further change to Saturday’s fixture,” the statement said.
‘BORO CALLED FOR SOUTHAMPTON EXPULSION
Middlesbrough had called for Southampton’s expulsion after having a training session at their Rockliffe Park site filmed 48 hours ahead of the first leg of their playoff semi-final with Southampton which ended 0-0.
The north-east club said they welcomed the decision.
“We believe this sends out a clear message for the future of our game regarding sporting integrity and conduct,” the north Middlesbrough said in a statement.
“As a club, we are now focused on our game against Hull City at Wembley on Saturday.”
Southampton were relegated from the Premier League last season and were struggling in the early part of this campaign until a storming finish in which they went unbeaten in 19 league games to finish fourth and enter the playoffs.
The south-coast club are the first to fall foul of the Football League’s regulation 127 — brought in after Leeds United were found guilty of spying on Derby County seven years ago, an offence for which they were fined 200,000 pounds.
-Reuters
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