Premier League teams will be able to make five substitutions, rather than three, in each match to the end of the season after clubs approved new rules. Teams will also be able to name nine substitutes instead of the usual seven. Football’s international law-makers gave competitions the option of increasing substitutes to protect player welfare on the sport’s resumption. Premier League football will return on 17 June after a three-month absence.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has proposed two different dates to resume the closing stages of both the 2019-20 African Champions League and Confederation Cup. A leaked document has revealed that CAF is targeting two scenarios, with the return to action either starting in late July/early August or in September.
Turkey’s Trabzonspor have been given a one-season ban from European football over Financial Fair Play breaches. UEFA said the Super Lig leaders had failed to meet an agreement reached in 2016, when the club were found to have breached the rules.
Achraf Hakimi is among several African sportsmen to show support for the late African-American George Floyd after the Morocco international scored in Borussia Dortmund’s 6-1 thrashing of Paderborn. The United States has seen a number of protests in major cities across the country since Floyd, an unarmed black man, died while being restrained by white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on 25 May.
Olympique Lyonnais have signed on-loan Cameroon forward Karl Toko Ekambi from Villarreal on a four-year contract, the Ligue 1 club said on Tuesday. Lyon exercised an option to buy the player in a deal worth $12.86m plus add-ons which includes a sell-on clause of 15% of any future transfer.
Former five-division world champion Floyd Mayweather has offered to cover the funeral costs for George Floyd, who died while being restrained by Minneapolis police. Protests have been held in the US and worldwide after Floyd, an unarmed black man, died while being pinned down by white police officer Derek Chauvin.
Former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha says he does not feel “100% safe” in the USA. Onuoha plays for Utah-based Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer after spending six years at QPR. “I am always very wary of how I behave and how it could be viewed by people who have power,” Onuoha, 33, said.
Rugby Australia (RA) will let go of a third of full-time staff to mitigate the financial impact of coronavirus. The governing body of Australian rugby union announced cuts that will lead to “the departure of 47 of its 142 full-time staff over the coming months”.
With empty grounds greeting the return of Danish football, FC Midtjylland came up with a creative way of ensuring their fans were able to get close to the action while also remaining at a safe social distance for Monday’s home game with AC Horsens.
Liverpool players took a knee around the centre circle at Anfield in a message of support following the death in police custody of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis. The picture featuring 29 Reds players came with the caption “Unity is strength. #BlackLivesMatter”.
Forward Odion Ighalo has extended his loan deal at Manchester United until January 2021. Ighalo, 30, joined United in January from Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua, initially until 31 May. There is no option for the Premier League club to buy the Nigeria international.
French champions Paris St-Germain have signed striker Mauro Icardi for 60m euros from Inter Milan. The 27-year-old Argentina international joined PSG in September on a season-long loan with a buy-out option.
Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr, who has signed a new contract with the Super Eagles, has said the Super Eagles are “not number one in Africa” – despite his new deal expecting him to deliver the 2021 AFCON. The German said he is “happy to continue” with Nigeria and that the new deal was “good for all of us.”
Everton midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin will be out for at least six months after injuring an Achilles tendon in training on Thursday. The 24-year-old Ivory Coast international signed from German side Mainz for £25m last summer.
Atletico Madrid forward Diego Costa is to face trial on 4 June for tax fraud. According to a court filing, Costa, 31, defrauded the state of more than 1m euros by not declaring payments of more than 5.15m euros from his 2014 move to Chelsea.
Spain’s La Liga will resume on 11 June when Real Betis face Sevilla, and next season will start on 12 September. Organisers want to finish the season on the weekend of 18-19 July “depending on the evolution” of coronavirus. The Spanish government’s department for sport said agreements had been reached with La Liga and the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF).
Roger Federer is the first tennis player to top the annual Forbes list of the world’s highest paid athletes, overtaking footballer Lionel Messi. Federer, 38, moved up four places after earning £86.2m in the past year – about £81m of it in endorsements. Cristiano Ronaldo (£85m), Messi (£84m) and Neymar (£77.5m) come next, while American basketball player LeBron James (£71.5m) completes the top five.
The Premier League is set to restart on 17 June with Aston Villa v Sheffield United and Manchester City v Arsenal, subject to government approval. A full round of fixtures would then be played on the weekend of 19-21 June.
Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr is to stay on as Super Eagles coach, ending months of protracted contract negotiations. Discussions have been going on since 2019 over the deal, with problems arising after the Nigeria Football Federation insisted publicly that Rohr spend more time in Nigeria.
Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger led the tributes to Cameroonian midfielder Joseph Bouasse Perfection who died from a heart attack aged 21 on Sunday. Rudiger, who played at Serie A club Roma during Bouasse’s time there as a youth-team player, expressed his sorrow at the “horrible news”.
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