And then there were three. On Monday, Brazil withdrew its candidacy to host the 2023 Women’s World Cup, leaving Colombia, Japan and a joint bid from Australia and New Zealand as the remaining contenders before the final FIFA Council vote on June 25.
The LaLiga season resumes on June 11 and then — with 11 match weeks still to be played — goes off on a tear with games every day until July 17. This means that clubs will be playing matches every three to four days until the season’s over, and with players lacking match fitness, squad depth will be tested over the coming weeks with young players given a chance to shine.
Premier League clubs will return to training on Tuesday after agreeing to allow "small group" sessions to begin, with a possible return to normal 'contact' training next week.
The league held a conference call for all 20 clubs on Monday where the move was given unanimous backing but there remains no firm date for the season to resume. Another meeting is scheduled for early next week when the league will decide on whether to move to the second phase which allows for training involving contact.
Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce has warned that players will not be ready for competitive action until the end of June as the Premier League looks to restart the season next month.
The league has been suspended since mid-March but its plans to resume received a boost when the government last week said it was "opening the door" for the sport to return. Another meeting is planned for Monday to discuss safety measures needed for "Project Restart" to happen and Bruce said players need at least six weeks to get back in shape.
UEFA has a plan to finish the 2019-20 season by August, including the Champions League and Europa League campaigns, the European soccer governing body's president Aleksander Ceferin has said.
The majority of European league seasons were suspended in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic but a few leagues have announced plans for a restart in the coming weeks.
The French and Dutch top-flight campaigns have been cancelled but the German Bundesliga restarted on Saturday and Ceferin expects at least 80% of national leagues to finish their seasons.
When Lynden Gooch left the sleepy beaches of Santa Cruz for Sunderland at just 17, his aspirations were lofty.
He was joining a mid-table Premier League club. His first-team squadmates played internationally for nations like Belgium, Sweden and Ghana. And his first-team manager held previous stints at Celtic, Aston Villa and Leicester City.
Unfortunately, as Gooch began to rise, his club began to sink.
Joan Laporta has said he will seek to bring former manager Pep Guardiola back to Barcelona if his bid to return as president of the LaLiga club in 2021 is successful, Spanish media reported.
Laporta was Barcelona president from 2003 to 2010 and was at the helm when Guardiola was promoted from the youth team to manager of the senior team in 2008.
Players will need at least four weeks to regain match fitness once coronavirus lockdown measures are lifted and they are able to resume training, FK Partizan coach Savo Milosevic said on Sunday.
The 46-year old former Yugoslavia striker, who scored 37 goals in 102 internationals and won the 1996 English League Cup with Aston Villa, pointed out that a return to normal training would be gradual.
Over the last few days I’ve become obsessed with the idea of bringing the drive-in theater experience to soccer. The move was initially proposed by Danish club FC Midtjylland, which would like to setup big screens outside MCH Arena to allow 2,000 cars (a maximum of 10,000 fans) to come and enjoy a live screening of the match from the safety of their own vehicles.
This is a magical idea.